75th Anniversary
Celebrating Sunnyside Library: A vital community institution
To our communities, it’s much more than a library…
Opening doors to knowledge, belonging, and opportunity for the past 75 years
JOHN DANCE
The 75th anniversary of the Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) is an occasion to reflect on the critical and evolving importance of the stone structure at the corner of Bank and Echo, its devoted staff, its 60,000 books and so much more.
Last year alone, Sunnyside had more than two million visits, it lent out 200,000 books and digital items and offered about 400 programs.
A quarter of the residents of Capital Ward’s 44,000 residents are card-carrying members of Sunnyside. The branch is smack in the centre of the ward and has frequent bus service and great walking and cycling access.
As noted in Carleton professor Tonya Davidson’s new book, Ottawology, “It is impossible to be hyperbolic when describing the important community-building, socializing, ‘third place’ quality of libraries.”
“When other social institutions are overwhelmed, underfunded, and crumbling, libraries pick up the slack,” she writes. “Libraries are free, providing warmth in cold winters and cool space in hot summers; they offer worlds of intrigue, satisfy curiosity, and are safe places to hide away but in public” – all aspects that apply to the Sunnyside branch.
“Libraires are some of the rare places where people voluntarily co-mingle with broad swaths of society and are, therefore, socialized into a productive, friendly civility,” Davidson says. That they are free and sunny – like Sunnyside – makes them all that more desirable.
History
When Sunnyside branch was built in 1951 there were only three other OPL full branches – the others being the Main branch on Laurier, Rideau in Lowertown, and Rosemount in Hintonburg.
Before the Sunnyside building opened, Ottawa South residents had limited library access. As Old Ottawa South historian John Calvert has noted, in 1911 the first local facility was in Hopewell Avenue Public School.
Known as a book depot, “[I]t consisted of about 500 books on shelves in the hallway of the school, open to the public for borrowing one hour at a time three evenings a week,” Calvert notes.
“The Ottawa South book depot was upgraded in 1916 to a small bona fide branch operation, still within the Hopewell Avenue school,” Calvert notes. “The Library Board made available an unused classroom which was fitted out as a branch and reading room.”
In 1923, the branch moved into a store front at 1200-1208 Bank Street, where Vertigo Records is today. Residents pressed for a library building similar to Rideau or Rosemount but it wasn’t until 1951 that the “South” branch was built. In its first year, it had only a tenth of the number of cardholders it now has.
“By the 1980s, the South branch was in need of a major overhaul and City Council approved a significant renovation project, ultimately costing $622,000,” Calvert writes. “This project took place during 1985 and built a new entrance area at the northwest corner of the building, expanded the rear of the building, reconfigured the garage for the bookmobile service, moved the children’s department into the basement, and added an elevator and more washrooms.”
In 2000, after the City expanded, the “South” name became a misnomer and needed replacement. “Sunnyside,” a name reflecting the nearby street, was selected. Four years later, OPL proposed closing the branch but as noted in a recent blog from OPL, “passionate residents” successfully opposed this.
In 2008, Charlesfort Developments proposed “an upscale 13-storey condominium building” on the site with a new library on the ground floor but the proposal was supported by neither the City nor the community.
Evolution
Along with improved facilities and an ever-increasing collection, the library expanded its scope of services over the years. The public library of today is significantly different than that of 75 years ago.
In 1980, OPL introduced a computerized catalog system and that was the beginning of the library becoming even more of a broad information source. Records could be borrowed, then videotapes, CDs, and e-books.
Now, museum and ski passes, Chromebooks, and a telescope are available. Several branches even have musical instruments to loan.
The branch facilities have had numerous improvements including enlarged reading rooms and the installation of computers with free Wi-Fi available for up to two hours at a time.
Sunnyside has five full-time and 14 part-time staff. Over the years, many local university and high school students have had the opportunity of working at Sunnyside.
The internet has allowed much greater ease and scope of borrowing books and now cardholders can place a hold on any of the two million books in the 33 branches of OPL. If the book is not in high demand, readers can get the requested item within days.
Although the Sunnyside branch provides great convenience to Capital Ward residents, they will also be able to use the new central branch in LeBreton Flats, now under construction as a joint federal-City of Ottawa project.
The pandemic resulted in greater use of the hold system but it also led to a “no-fines” policy which eliminated daily late fees. Users can still be subject to a replacement fee after 21 days but no longer face daily penalties. This “less punitive approach is an important part of why we’re starting to see more interest and a resurgence in the use of libraries,” says Matthew Luloff, chair of the OPL board.
Challenges and Future
OPL costs about $69 million annually. One of the ongoing challenges is to continually renew the collection in the face of the costs of books outpacing inflation and the costs of e-books growing even faster. A single book can easily cost $50 or more and e-books can be three or four times more expensive.
Assuming an average Ottawa residential tax bill of about $5,000 and given that just one percent of the City budget is used for OPL, the average resident pays enough taxes for only about one new library book a year.
In recent years, Sunnyside and other branches have become safe and free refuges for those without regular homes. Indeed, at Sunnyside, about a quarter of those regularly using the reading rooms are unhoused, vulnerable people needing a safe daytime space. As Charlotte Halstead, the OPL coordinator at Sunnyside, notes, “It’s similar to a hospital emergency department: anybody can come through the door.”
The Sunnyside branch “requires significant repairs,” and a recent report recommends “exploring options for either redeveloping or relocating the library.” Asked about this, Halstead says that likely in 2027 the branch’s roof will be refurbished and windows will be replaced. The work could require closure for a “short period.”
In terms of the relocation option, Halstead says “I feel there would be pushback from the community – we would hope to stay.” That’s a sentiment probably shared by the branch’s 11,000 cardholders.
The branch held a special 75th anniversary celebration on March 28th. Chief librarian Sonia Bebbington spoke of the rich history of the branch and the OPL system, and many residents had the opportunity to share dessert and refreshments. Other celebratory events during the day were a magic show, face-painting and button-making, and meeting mammals and reptiles with “Zoo Crew.”
“Libraries nourish at the level of the individual and society,” Davidson says. This perspective is one that the many users of Sunnyside would endorse, whether they were just dropping by for a celebratory piece of cake or simply wandering through the stacks to find another book of magic, insight, adventure, or knowledge.