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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.

  • Tuesdays, Apr 16, 2024 - Jun 11, 2024
    7:00pm
    60 minutes

    9 sessions remaining

    Practice English and meet new friends in a relaxed and friendly environment. 

    Margaret is an accredited teacher of English as a Second Language with more than 8 years experience in teaching adults who are new to Canada. Margaret endeavours to assist English learners strengthen their language skills through engaging conversations and discussions of some of the practical and cultural intricacies of living in Canada. 

  • Wednesdays, Apr 17, 2024 - May 29, 2024
    12:00pm
    120 minutes

    7 sessions remaining

    Bring your knitting or crochet and meet fellow enthusiasts at the Sunnyside branch.  Knitters of all abilities are welcome.

    Apportez votre tricot ou votre crochet et rencontrez d'autres passionnés à la succursale Sunnyside.  Les tricoteurs de tous niveaux sont les bienvenus.

  • Wednesday Apr 17, 2024 at 6:00pm
    45 minutes

    An overdose is a life-threatening medical emergency. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, while waiting for 911 to arrive. Being able to recognize the signs of an overdose quickly and having a naloxone kit can save a life. 

    Join Ottawa Public Health nurses for this 30-minute virtual information and training session on how to identify and respond to an overdose, including how to administer Naloxone, followed by a 15-minute Q&A. Information on how to obtain a free kit will be provided as part of this presentation. 

    This is a hybrid program.  The presenter is remote and will be on-screen in the meeting room 1A/1B of the Sunnyside branch.

  • Wednesdays, Apr 17, 2024 - May 08, 2024
    6:30pm
    90 minutes

    4 sessions remaining

    2024 will be one of the most consequential years in the history of democracy. Elections have been or will be held in many countries ranging in size and power from El Salvador to India. The decisions of voters will determine whether the worldwide growth in authoritarianism over the past twenty years will continue or democracy will begin to make a comeback.

    The US Presidential and Congressional elections on Tuesday November 5 stand out as an especially critical democratic moment for two reasons: first because they will be a supreme test of American democracy; and second because they will send a powerful message to the rest of the world, including the dictatorships and wannabe dictatorships.

    The group will discuss the background and issues of Democracy on Trial and week by week follow the important democratic events and developments of 2024.

    Mr. Robert Miller will lead the discussion. He is the author of Canada and Democratic Development and, prior to his retirement, served as President and CEO of the Parliamentary Centre, Canada’s leading institution promoting and supporting international democratic development.

    Session #1 Wednesday, April 3: Is History Repeating Itself?

    Session #2, Wednesday April 10: Democratic Fatigue and the Appeal of the Strong Man

    Session #3, Wednesday, April 17: Big Countries and Small: The Cases of El Salvador and Rwanda, Russia and India

    Session # 4, Wednesday, April 24: The Fire Next Door: The Authoritarian Impulse in the United States

    Session #5, Wednesday, May 1: Donald Trump and the Invention of Trumpism

    Session #6, Wednesday, May 8: Can it Happen Here? If Trump wins, is Canada next? A discussion with John Ibbitson, Globe and Mail columnist and one of Canada’s leading authors on politics and public affairs.

    Registration recommended.   

  • Thursdays, Apr 18, 2024 - May 30, 2024
    6:45pm
    60 minutes

    7 sessions remaining

    Améliorez votre français parlé et rencontrez des gens dans une ambiance décontractée et conviviale. Niveau intermédiaire. Practice your French language conversation skills and meet new friends in a relaxed and friendly environment. Intermediate level.

  • Fridays, Apr 19, 2024 - Jun 21, 2024
    2:00pm
    60 minutes

    3 sessions remaining

    Do you enjoy reading mysteries? Share the enjoyment of good mysteries in a relaxed atmosphere. Join us for discussion usually every third Friday of the month. 

  • Saturday Apr 20, 2024 at 1:00pm
    120 minutes

    Sorry this event and its waiting list are full

    Join Phil Jenkins, a celebrated historian, author, columnist, lecturer, and multifaceted musician and songwriter, as he delves into the profound impact of immigration on our city's rich history.

    Registration is required

  • seed saving

    Monday Apr 22, 2024 at 5:30pm
    150 minutes

    Take some seeds… bring some seeds!  A sustainable way to grow your garden and chat with other gardeners in the community.

  • Tuesday Apr 23, 2024 at 10:30am
    90 minutes

    This workshop, presented by Dying With Dignity Canada (Ottawa Chapter), End of Life Options (including MAiD)  is to educate people about the options available to mitigate or end suffering at life's end, including:

    palliative care

    treatment options

    Medical Assistance In Dying (MAiD

    The workshop includes the current legislation on MAiD, the process for applying in Ontario and explanation of the experience by a loved one.  

    Adult, English event.  Registration is required as space is limited.

  • Wednesday Apr 24, 2024 at 6:30pm
    60 minutes

    Join us for the ultimate armchair travel around Europe. The European Book Club is offered in partnership with European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in Ottawa to promote contemporary European authors and their works. A book title from an EU country is selected for discussion each month.

    We will be discussing "Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World" by Irene Vallejo.

    IRENE VALLEJO

    Irene Vallejo earned her European Doctorate from the Universities of Zaragoza and Florence. Papyrus was awarded the National Essay Prize, the Critical Eye Prize for Narrative and the Bookstore Recommendation Award, and will be published in thirty countries. She is a regular columnist for El País and Heraldo de Aragón, and is the author of two children’s books, two novels, and three collections of essays, articles, and short fiction.

    PAPYRUS

    Long before books were mass-produced, scrolls hand copied on reeds pulled from the Nile were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and Pharaohs were so determined to possess them that they dispatched emissaries to the edges of the earth to bring them back.

    Papyrus, traces the dramatic history of the book and the fight for its survival. This is the story of the book’s journey from oral tradition to scrolls to codices, and how that transition laid the very foundation of Western culture. And it is a story full of heroic adventures, bloodshed and megalomania – from the battlefields of Alexander the Great and the palaces of Cleopatra to the libraries of war-torn Sarajevo and Oxford.