OPL: the big reveal

Today we learn about the proposed site for a possible new main branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

One thing is certain. Not everyone will be happy, and many will have mixed emotions. There's a vocal downtown lobby that won't be happy unless it's placed almost on top of the existing site. For them anything west of Kent Street would be too far.

Local genealogists would welcome a joint facility with Library and Archives Canada. The arrangement works well in Montreal between the city and the province. But will the feds try playing the Tunney's Pasture wildcard, rejected as a new hospital site, again? That might get support from those looking to replace the Rosemount Branch but would have the downtown folks upset.

And then there's those of us in underserved areas, library deserts. A large expenditure for a main branch pushes ever further back any prospect of equitable service.

See the Citizen opinion piece at http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-big-questions-on-a-big-new-library