Home for the Archives

Central Archives and Library Materials Centre, May 2009

[From City of Ottawa website.]

The new facility will house two distinct and complementary functions; a new home for the City of Ottawa’s Central Archives and a new location for the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) Materials Distribution and Collections Development / Technical Services groups. The archives’ facility will include exhibit and office space, laboratory, reference areas and vaults. It will ensure the preservation of the collection by providing environmentally controlled spaces. The OPL’s Collection Development Services, Technical Services and the Materials Distribution Centre will house all functions related to acquisition, processing and circulation of library materials throughout the library system. All new library materials and current materials requested for other branches will be sorted and distributed to the OPL’s 33 branches through this facility. 

The building is scheduled to start construction in late summer 2009, and be ready for occupancy by December 2010. The facility will be built on City-owned land located on Tallwood Drive near the corner of Woodroffe Avenue, adjacent to a proposed transitway expansion.

The facility design is targeted for LEED^TM (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification in accordance with City of Ottawa policies. Drawing from the LEED whole-building approach to sustainability in key performance areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality; and in keeping with the Percent for Art Policy, the City of Ottawa is accepting proposals for integrated public artwork for various exterior sites in the new Central Archives and Ottawa Public Library Materials Centre. For more information on LEED please visit http://www.cagbc.org/

The Archives and Ottawa Public Library facility plan includes two floors of vault space facing Tallwood Drive with a third level of office space for Library Technical Services. An east wing of the building will have three floors for the City of Ottawa Archives exhibit, laboratory, office and reference spaces. The ground floor portion facing Tallwood Drive located behind the Archive vaults will house the Ottawa Public Library Materials Distribution function complete with loading bays. A small three-story high lobby area will provide main building access and connect the Archives administration wing to the Archives vault and Library Services main building. There will be an open exterior plaza space between Tallwood Drive and the Archives east wing. A rear parking area will be located on the south side and the open area beside the parking lot is reserved for future vault expansion.

The City of Ottawa’s Archives is the centre for local heritage preservation and programming and is focused on acquiring, preserving and providing public access to Ottawa’s documentary heritage. The current Archives’ collection is one of Ottawa’s oldest and most valuable holdings of information on the development and evolution of municipal government and the community of Ottawa. The Ottawa Public Library mission statement is to build a strong Ottawa community by supporting literacy and life-long learning, fostering inspiration and enjoyment, and connecting people to each other and the world. The OPL is the largest bilingual (English-French) library system in North America with 33 branches and two bookmobiles serving the City of Ottawa.

Ontario Government delivers $20 million to City of Ottawa for Archives and Library

March 28, 2008

Construction could begin as early as this year on the City of Ottawa’s Central Archives and Ottawa Library Technical Facility Project thanks to $20 million dollars in infrastructure money provided today by the McGuinty government.

“We are proud to be a partner in the new archives and library facilities which Ottawa has identified as a priority for local residents” said Jim Watson, MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean.

FCOA Supports Staff Report on New Home for City Archives

October 27, 2007

The Friends of the City of Ottawa Archives (FCOA) today announced that it supports a report recommending that a new facility for the City Archives be constructed at Centrepointe. The report, produced by City of Ottawa staff, folds in the findings of a consultant who was hired to help investigate possible synergies between the Archives and the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) as a facility takes shape.

The report was made public on October 25.

The report presents Council with three options, all at Centrepointe, where there are the advantages of city land, a transitway station, a major branch of the Library, a location central to Ottawa's overall geography, and the adjacent facilities and student programs of Algonquin College - some already associated with the work of the Archives.

The preferred option folds in the construction of an adjacent facility to house the technical services of the Ottawa Public Library, in the first phase of what might become the construction of a new main OPL facility downtown. Under that idea, certain Archives activities would also be introduced at the downtown location at a later date.
In the meantime, construction of a principal Archives at Centrepointe means that a much-needed state-of-the-art vault in which to protect the collection can be built, with land available to expand that structure as collections grow.

"We are pleased that the report builds upon work already done on the project," said FCOA president, John Heney, whose organization has been at work with the city on this for several years. "The recommended option linked to the OPL opens interesting synergies while making sure the Archives gets its much-needed new home."

The main Archives must vacate space the City leases for that purpose from the federal government on Sussex Drive by December 2010.

Mr. Heney says he is also proud of the teamwork he has seen develop between Ottawa's dedicated heritage community and City staff on this case.

"Archives users intend to stay on top of developments, every step of the way, to help ensure that our city and its residents realize the fullness of the potential there is to be gained from forward-looking plans, facilities, and the programs involved. This is promising and exciting."

John Heney, President
Friends of the City of Ottawa Archives
(613) 224-6888, e-mail

Early 2007 – FCOA's main concern is getting Ottawa’s new City Council to recognize the urgent need to create a permanent home for the Archives.

Here’s our postcard on the subject: