Ontario: “Breaking Down the Ottawa Public Library’s Rebrand and Its Numbers”

From the Ottawa Citizen:

Amidst a decline in physical book rentals and in-person visits to its 33 branches, the Ottawa Public Library is doubling down on a rebrand. One that positions it as a “third space” for clients.

In its 2025 end-of-year report, the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) said the last year was spent laying the groundwork to approve and move forward with its new brand, which was officially unveiled in January this year.

This move is meant to go “beyond visual identity,” according to Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matthew Luloff, who is also board chair for the OPL.

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The rebrand is meant to bring to life the core values of the library, which is to go beyond the books and to build a sense of community by being “a third space”, according to Luloff’s message in the report.

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But what has prompted this identity rebrand? The OPL’s 2025 end-of-year report provides an interesting insight.

In 2025, the OPL reported a decrease in physical borrowed books and in-person visits from the year before, while web-related activities saw a spike.

There was a total of 3.5 million in-person visits to OPL branches in 2025, a one per cent decline from 2024. Similarly, physical items borrowed saw a four per cent decline to 7.9 million.

Meanwhile, website visits increased (13.8 million) by 19 per cent from 2024, with a nine per cent increase in borrowed eBooks and eAudiobooks (3.2 million) from the year before.

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