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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.

  • Wednesdays, May 15, 2024 - Jun 05, 2024
    6:30pm
    60 minutes

    4 sessions remaining

    Do you already have some basic English language skills, and are you looking for a casual, friendly environment where you can practice your English speaking skills? All levels are welcome.

    Join our free English conversation group!

    Receive guidance from our leaders, meet new people and gain confidence in your ability to speak English.

    Every Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 pm (no conversation group on April 17)

    Vous avez déjà une base en anglais et vous cherchez un endroit avec une ambiance décontractée et amicale pour pratiquer vos habiletés de converser en anglais? Tous les niveaux sont les bienvenus.

    Joignez-vous à notre groupe de conversation en anglais! C'est gratuit!

    Recevez des conseils, rencontrez de nouvelles personnes et gagnez de la confiance à converser en anglais.

    Tous les mercredis soirs de 18h30-19h30 (sauf le 17 avril)

  • Notepad, camera, and magnifying glass on old map

    Tuesdays, May 21, 2024 - Jun 18, 2024
    1:30pm
    60 minutes

    2 sessions remaining

    All aboard for the final leg of our tour around the world, with Sweden, Nigeria, and Spain! Join us the third Tuesday of each month where we will discuss a title set in a different country and/or written by a foreign author.

    When you register, we will reserve a copy of the book for you - no need to place a hold, unless you would like to enjoy the book in a different format. This is the last chance to get your Reader's Passport stamped before the summer!

  • Open book on an off-white background, with blooming magnolias resting on the open book

    Thursdays, May 23, 2024 - Jun 27, 2024
    7:00pm
    60 minutes

    2 sessions remaining

    Our final book club sessions before the summer break!

    Come join us the 4th Thursday of every month for lively discussion on a variety of English-language books. Everything from non-fiction to fantasy to gentle reads, there's something for everyone - and you may find a new genre that appeals to you!

    When you register, we will reserve a copy of the book for you - no need to place a hold, unless you would like to enjoy the book in a different format.

    For June, we'll be having a BYOB party... Bring Your Own Book Party, that is! Whether it be an old favourite, or something new and amazing that recently crossed your path, we want to see what you recommend everyone should read and hear why you loved it. A list of the recommended titles will appear on the website after the event.

  • Making love with the land image of Joshua whitehead on teal background
    Rossy Pavilion

    Tuesday Jun 11, 2024 at 7:00pm
     minutes

    In partnership with the National Arts Centre (NAC), the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) is hosting an Indigenous Book Club for National Indigenous History Month featuring book of essays Making Love with the Land. On June 11 at 7pm, join us for this conversation with author Joshua Whitehead (Oji-Cree - Peguis First Nation) to discuss the book and connect directly with the author and other readers.

    Borrow a copy today: Making Love With the Land | Ottawa Public Library | BiblioCommons

    About the Book
    Making Love with the Land is a startling, challenging, uncompromising look at what it means to live as an Indigenous person “in the rupture” between identities. In these ten unique, heart-piercing non-fiction pieces, award-winning writer Joshua Whitehead illuminates the com­plex moment we’re living through now, in which Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples are navigating new and old ideas about “the land.” He asks: What is our relationship and responsi­bility towards it? And how has the land shaped ideas, histories, words, our very bodies?

    About the Author
    Joshua Whitehead (he/him) is a Two-Spirit, Oji-nêhiyaw member of Peguis First Nation (Treaty 1). He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary where he is housed in the departments of English and International Indigenous Studies (Treaty 7).

    He is the author of full-metal indigiqueer (Talonbooks 2017) which was shortlisted for the inaugural Indigenous Voices Award and the Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry. He is also the author of Jonny Appleseed (Arsenal Pulp Press 2018) which was long listed for the Giller Prize, shortlisted for the Indigenous Voices Award, the Governor General's Literary Award, the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award, and won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction, the Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction and Canada Reads 2021. Whitehead is the editor of Love after the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction, which won the Lambda Award in 2021.

    This is a hybrid event: the program is in-person, but will be streamed live: https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/36739. A recording of the event will be provided on the OPL YouTube page afterwards.

    Registration is for the in-person portion of the event- Registration required. This event is free but seating is limited.

  • Woman clutching her hair in frustration, looking at her laptop

    Saturday Jun 22, 2024 at 2:00pm
    120 minutes

    The average time it takes for an unprotected computer to be compromised after connecting to the Internet is under 15 minutes. Don't let it be yours!

    Chris Taylor, President of the Ottawa PC Users' Group, will show you the simple steps you need to take to keep your PC from being hacked.

    And best of all, it can be done for free!

    **Please note that you are not required to bring your laptop for the session.

  • Thursdays, May 09, 2024 - Dec 19, 2024
    11:00am
    90 minutes

    17 sessions remaining

    Join us at yarn club!

    Knitters, crocheters, needle workers, rug hookers – all are welcome to socialize with fellow yarn crafters and work on their latest project.

    Drop-in program.

  • Thursdays, May 09, 2024 - May 30, 2024
    1:00pm
    90 minutes

    4 sessions remaining

    Ready for more than conversation? These 4-week module classes will help build on your English language skills. Beginner and Intermediate sessions. Each session's registration will open three (3) weeks prior to the first class. 

    Everyone welcome! Register online.  

    You are registering for: Beginner classes : May 2, 9,16 and 23 2024

    Vous cherchez un peu plus qu'une conversation? Nos classes en format module de 4 semaines vous aideront à développer vos compétences linguistiques en anglais. Sessions au niveau débutant ainsi qu'intermédiaire. Ouverture des inscriptions trois (3) semaines avant la première classe pour chaque session. 

    Tous sont bienvenus ! Inscription en ligne.  

    Vous vous enregistrez pour: session débutant: les 2, 9,16 et 23 mai 2024

  • Thursdays, May 09, 2024 - May 30, 2024
    1:00pm
    90 minutes

    4 sessions remaining

    Ready for more than conversation? These 4-week module classes will help build on your English language skills. Beginner and Intermediate sessions. Each session's registration will open three (3) weeks prior to the first class. 

    Everyone welcome! Register online.  

    You are registering for: Intermediate classes : May 2, 9, 16 and 23 2024

    Vous cherchez un peu plus qu'une conversation? Nos classes en format module de 4 semaines vous aideront à développer vos compétences linguistiques en anglais. Sessions au niveau débutant ainsi qu'intermédiaire. Ouverture des inscriptions trois (3) semaines avant la première classe pour chaque session. 

    Tous sont bienvenus ! Inscription en ligne.  

    Vous vous enregistrez pour: session intermédiaire: les 2, 9, 16 et 23 mai 2024

  • Sleuth Hounds

    Thursdays, May 09, 2024 - Feb 13, 2025
    1:30pm
    90 minutes

    10 sessions remaining

    Come meet to enjoy and discuss a wide variety of books selected by book club members. All are welcome!

    Every second Thursday of the month from 1.30pm to 3.00pm.

    Here's what we're reading in 2024/2025:

    • March 14: Dead Wake by Eric Larson
    • April 11: Warlight by Michael Ondaatje 
    • May 9: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
    • June 6: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Start-Up by John Carreyrou
    • July 11: Mansions of the Moon by Shyam Selvadurai
    • August 8: Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
    • September 12: On the Ravine by Vincent Lam
    • October 10: The Story of Us by Catherine Hernandez
    • November 14: Snow by John Banville
    • December 12: Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin
    • January 9: A Newfoundlander in Canada by Alan Doyle
    • February 13: The Drowning Woman by Robin Harding
  • Thursdays, May 09, 2024 - Aug 28, 2025
    2:00pm
    60 minutes

    57 sessions remaining

    COLOURING PROGRAM ON HIATUS FROM JULY -  AUGUST. WILL RESUME IN SEPTEMBER. 

    Coloring can have a calming effect on the mind and promote overall wellness. Join us for a fun and relaxing afternoon of adult coloring. 

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

    Drop-in.