The new Carlingwood branch was opened to the public in August 1966 with its official opening as a regional library on October 13^th of that year. According to the Ottawa Times Weekly, it didn’t take long for the branch to become the “busiest public library in town.” Having an initial collection of 30,000 books, it soon grew to 70,000, and now visitors have access to well over 200,000 items, including OPL’s digital collections.

It is the cathedral-like design of the building that one first notices when entering the building, with its high windows and alcoves, its gothic arches, and its mezzanine, all serving to highlight the library’s function as a community meeting place and allowing an immediate view on to its collection. The building offers a window into grand vision of the Ottawa city planners of the day who built not just one, but three west-end branches in the space of two years.

One of the library’s key features is the eye-catching, bird-like, bronze sculpture suggesting the idea of flight. It was commissioned for the opening of the library and created by Montreal artist Gordon Smith. Installed above the original entrance, hanging high overhead, it was meant to greet the public as they entered their new building. It is fitting that a new outdoor mural by artist Claudia Salguero will soon be unveiled during the celebration of Carlingwood’s 50^th anniversary in October. Much like the original intent of the sculpture, the mural will welcome area residents, and can be viewed on the west side of the building by people driving along Woodroffe Avenue. Claudia’s new mural serves to highlight the diverse and active population that still frequents its local branch.

Since opening Carlingwood has always been one of the city’s most loved and well-used branches. The Ottawa Citizen wrote in 1960 that “west-end residents out-read their downtown library members by almost two to one.” Whether it’s the frenetic pace its children’s area, the hum of teen activities, its popular adult programming, or simply a cool space to read a book on a hot summer day, the Carlingwood Library remains one of the most widely used public resources in Ottawa’s west end.

-Paul Tyler Kitchissippi Times 2016