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Some in-branch programs require registration with your library card. Please log in with your library account or follow this link to apply for a card online. You can also apply for a card in person at any of our 33 locations.

  • Web banner for hobbies and crafts

    Wednesdays, Sep 18, 2024 - Mar 19, 2025
    7:00pm
    60 minutes

    13 sessions remaining

    If you are a knitter or a crocheter, come and join Hazeldean Stitches. Share your ideas and projects with other yarn artists. All ages welcome!

  • Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Adam Room

    Wednesday Sep 18, 2024 at 8:00pm
     minutes

    Former Chief Justice of Canada and #1 bestselling author of Full Disclosure, Beverley McLachlin, discusses her new novel Proof, a razor-sharp thriller featuring defense attorney Jilly Truitt as she defends a high-profile mother accused of kidnapping her own child.

    In partnership with The Ottawa International Writer's Festival. Hosted by Charlotte Gray. 

    Get your free tickets by clicking this link

    Book sales on-site will be handled by Perfect Books. 

  • Thursdays, Sep 19, 2024 - Nov 21, 2024
    10:15am
    75 minutes

    3 sessions remaining

    Join us as we share the enjoyment of reading and discuss books in a relaxed atmosphere. All are welcome. 

    September 19 - The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig

    October 17  - Drive your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

    November 21 - The Whisper on the Night Wind: the True History of a Wilderness Legend by Adam Schoalts

    The book club  meets on the third Thursday of each month at 10:15-11:30 except July, August and December, when there is no meeting. You can place a hold on library copies in advance.   

  • Paper quilling mountain / Montagne en paperolle

    Thursday Sep 19, 2024 at 1:30pm
    120 minutes

    Join us for a crafty afternoon as we stream a Creativebug course that will teach you the basics of paper quilling.

    All supplies – including refreshments – will be provided.

    **

    Venez bricoler avec nous tandis que nous diffusons un cours de Creativebug qui vous apprendra les bases des paperolles.

    Tout le matériel – y compris les rafraichissements – sera fourni.

  • Blank piece of paper and a pen

    Thursdays, Sep 19, 2024 - Jun 19, 2025
    3:00pm
    60 minutes

    10 sessions remaining

    Are you a hobby writer? Or perhaps you wish you could be. You welcome a time of solitude and your pen begins to move on a blank page. Sometimes you find yourself in a wonderful space, where your imagination blossoms in surprising ways; new insights or moments of beauty, or whole stories emerge, as though out of nothing. Weaving words is your happy place!

    Do you ever have Writer’s Block? If so, you are definitely a writer! Your writing matters to you and you want to be back at it again. Writing is a solitary activity. Yet at the heart of it, writing is about communication and creating community.

    Welcome to the writing circle. Whether your writing is flowing freely or you are in a dry spell, you are in good company here. This is not a course, nor a place where anyone will tell you what you should do or try to fix your writing. It’s a space for exploring your own unique ways of expressing yourself in a safe and supportive environment.

    Writing is a gift we can give ourselves, and a powerful avenue for reflecting on your life experiences. Through times of joy and sorrow, and through times of stress, writing nourishes you, like a medicine or sometimes like a magical potion. Stories, reflections, poetry, memoirs or whatever you want to write, you are welcome here.

    Drop in program.

  • Thursdays, Sep 19, 2024 - Nov 21, 2024
    6:00pm
    120 minutes

    3 sessions remaining

    Need Skills Training to Stand Out from the Crowd?  Learn how to access Free Online Courses.  Join us for a presentation and Q & A!

    Avez-vous besoin de développer des compétences pour vous distinguer?  Apprenez comment accéder à des cours en ligne gratuits.

  • Thursdays, Sep 19, 2024 - Dec 19, 2024
    6:00pm
    120 minutes

    14 sessions remaining

    Colouring can have a calming effect on the mind and promote overall wellness.

    Join us for a fun and relaxing session of adult colouring.  An opportunity to let your inner artist free and be a kid again!

    All supplies are provided.  No experience required.  All you need to bring is your creativity!

    Drop in.

    Redécouvrez le plaisir de colorier en vous joignant à notre club de coloriage pour adultes - un moment de détente et de relaxation tout en pratiquant l'art-thérapie.

    Tout le matériel est fourni. Aucune expérience requise. 

    Tout ce dont vous avez besoin est votre créativité!

    Inscription non requise.

  • Two hands joined around a cup of coffee

    Thursday Sep 19, 2024 at 6:15pm
    120 minutes

    Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Death Café gives you the chance to discuss and destigmatize this topic in a safe, non-judgmental space. While MAiD became legal in Canada in June 2016, it remains a complex and deeply personal issue, with many people who seek access to MAiD or their loved ones feeling stigmatized and unsupported. This is a space to share your thoughts, feelings and emotions around MAiD, to discuss the emerging laws on MAiD and mental health, and to talk about the impact MAiD has on families and loved ones.


    Drop-ins welcome, but registration preferred.

    Ottawa Public Library is partnering with the Home Hospice Association to offer death cafés with various themes. Check out the OPL website for upcoming death cafés.

  • Sleuth Hounds

    Thursday Sep 19, 2024 at 6:30pm
    60 minutes

    Share the enjoyment of good mysteries in a relaxed atmosphere. Join us for our discussion on Jo Spain. All are welcome!

  • Thursdays, Sep 19, 2024 - Oct 31, 2024
    6:30pm
    90 minutes

    6 sessions remaining

    Are you looking for a job? Come learn all the necessary skills to do so at the Elmvale Acres Branch of the Ottawa Public Library, with a program offered in conjunction with CCI Ottawa.

    Some of the topics that will be covered include: 

    •résumé & cover letter writing

    •job search and networking 

    •interview preparation (hard and soft skills)