Ottawa, Ontario: In Partnership with National Library/Archives, New $168 Million “Super Library” Recommended for City Land

From The Ottawa Citizen:

The Ottawa Public Library wants to partner with Library and Archives Canada to build a $168-million super library on city-owned land just west of Bronson Avenue.
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The 3.56-acre property is the only city-owned land out of the 12 reviewed during a site selection process led by the OPL this year. It has become known as the “exemplar” site since the beginning of the study because the OPL was using the property as a measuring stick against other possible properties.
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The partnership with the federal archives would create huge potential for the shared spaces, the OPL says.
There would be a main entrance and town square with a cafe, multipurpose spaces, a museum-quality exhibition gallery and a genealogy centre.
The OPL and Library and Archives Canada must reach a “relationship agreement” before designing the building.

Read the Complete Article
Additional Coverage From the CBC:

The report recommends the city partner with the federal Library and Archives Canada to build a joint library, an option that scored higher in the evaluation than just a stand-alone city central library.
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The report recommends a facility that’s 216,000 square-feet, with 133,000 square-feet going to the city.

Additional Resources
Full Text Document: Central Library Development Project: Ottawa Public Library-Library and Archives Canada Joint Project (55 pages; PDF)
Official Publication Announcement/Details (via OPL)
Ottawa Central Library Development Project Website

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Libraries, National Libraries, News, Public Libraries