Alexandra Yarrow has worked in several libraries in both Montreal and Ottawa since 1998. She is currently the Coordinator of the Carlingwood Branch of the Ottawa Public Library. Some key details about her career and the Carlingwood Branch include that she has held various positions at OPL since 2006, oversees a collection of 120,000 items and monthly circulation of 48,000 items, and organizes many popular programs for both children and adults. She also discussed OPL-wide initiatives like RFID implementation and her involvement in professional library organizations.

1. Alexandra Yarrow, B.A. Hon., M.L.I.S.
Coordinator / Coordonnatrice,
Succursale Carlingwood Branch
Bibliothèque publique d'Ottawa Public Library

2. Library roots
• Atwater, Westmount and Fraser Hickson Library patron
• 1998 - Marianopolis Student Library Assistant
• 1999-2004 – Westmount Public Library
• 2000-2002 – Nicholas Hoare Books
• 2002-2004 – MLIS at McGill
– Student Assistant at Health Sciences Library
– Practicum at Miss Edgar's and Miss Cramp's School
• 2004-2005 – Eleanor London Côte-St-Luc Library [term]
• 2005-2006 – Westmount Public Library [term]

3. • 2006 – present –
Ottawa Public Library
– Librarian, Rideau Branch
• During renovations, seconded to various projects at
Vanier and in West end
– Supervising Librarian, St Laurent Branch
– Supervising Librarian, Rideau Branch

4. • 2006 – present – Ottawa Public Library
– Acting Coordinator, Diversity and Accessibility Services
• Bookmobile, Homebound and Volunteer Services
– Coordinator, Diversity and Accessibility Services [term]
– Coordinator, Carlingwood Branch

5. OPL by the numbers
Item 2011 2010
Population City of Ottawa 927,118 917,570
Items borrowed 11,156,138 10,559,495
Library visits in person 5,275,850 5,254,500
Library visits electronically 14,993,291 12,468,060
Reference and information 642,050 681,750
questions
Number of public 903,580 900,046
workstation sessions
Wireless logins 144,669 106,329
Programs 10,414 10,165
Program attendance 204,714 194,956
Items used in Library 1,907,900 2,074,650

7. eBooks

8. Carlingwood Branch by the numbers
• Opened in 1966
• Serves a population of approximately 46,000
in Bay Ward and some of the 40,000 in
Kitchissippi Ward.
• 120, 000 items in collection
• Monthly numbers:
– Circulation: 48, 000 items
– In-person visits: 24, 000
– 1600 people attend 70 free programs.

9. Some fun programs!
Coffee with your councillor
2012 Summer
reading club closing
party
Teen advisory
group creating
spine poetry

10. #failcamp, Carlingwood-style!
• Golden Oak Book Club
• Art-based programs
• Film Club
• Some of the “Coffee with the community”
events
• Babysitting course
• IT issues: wiring, computer software, printers
• Some unique attempts at partnerships

11. Regular responsibilities
• Adult Information Desk (22h / week)
• Monthly reports to manager
• Staff performance and development:
– Individual contribution agreements
– Training, projects, workflow
• Staff liaison:
– 1-on-1 meetings (monthly) Teen shelftalkers
– Team meetings (quarterly)
– Branch meetings (a few times a year)
– Cluster meetings (annually)

12. Day-to-day responsibilities
• Scheduling
• Collection maintenance, displays
• Patron comment cards
• E-mail!
• Partnerships and outreach
• Program coordination
• Maintenance and building
• More? http://ottawapubliclibrarian.blogspot.com/
search/label/librarydayinthelife

13. RFID @ OPL
• $1.78M in 2012
(tagging all branches and converting Hazeldean)
• $3.785M
Total estimated remaining capital costs (5-8
years)
• Check out the AMH in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3s-KWPwTU4
• Check out RFID at Hazeldean Branch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g28fV9Z_dk

14. 5 best things about my job
• Autonomy
• Bonds of trust with the community, and the
team
• Working from the ground up
• Variety / diversity of
experiences/opportunities/tasks
• Responsibility

15. Professional development
• Vice-chair of the Ontario Library Association’s
Readers’ Advisory Committee
• Chair, Canadian Library Association’s Book of
the Year for Children Award jury
• Northern Exposures to Leadership 2010
• Instructor, Acquisitions, in the Library and
Information Technician Program at Algonquin
College.

16. Advice
• You are your own best advocate
• Mentor someone and be mentored
• Make a name for yourself
• Learn from mistakes
• Soft skills are more important than
hard/technical skills
• Get involved in a professional association

19. Thank you!
Alexandra Yarrow
Alexandra.Yarrow@BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca
http://ottawapubliclibrarian.blogspot.com/