History of the Oakville Public Library

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Please enjoy this brief timeline of events in the history of the Oakville Public Library

For nearly 190 years, Oakville Public Library (OPL) has been at the heart of our community, connecting people, information and ideas to enrich lives and foster vibrant, healthy communities. Established in 1836 as a small reading room, OPL has grown into a modern library system with multiple branches serving Oakville. Explore this timeline to discover key milestones that have shaped OPL’s history and evolution.
 

William Tassie, Oakville's first Schoolmaster, establishes a Public Reading Room in the Meeting Hall on Navy Street.

A black-and-white photograph of a historical portrait, possibly a painting or engraving, depicting William Tassie, circa 1836. He is a middle-aged man with wavy, neatly combed hair and prominent sideburns. He is dressed in formal 19th-century attire, wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and a bow tie.

The name "Oakville Public Library" is first used as a result of an amendment to the 1882 Provincial Free Libraries Act.

A vintage postcard depicting the Public or Common School in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. The school is a two-story red brick building with a central tower that has a steeply pitched roof and dormer windows. The
At this time, the library is located in the Common School tower, having merged with the Mechanics' Institute in 1862. The School was located on the corner of Navy and Randall Streets with the front of the school facing Lakeshore Road.

Oakville's post office on Colborne St. (now Lakeshore Rd.) becomes the new home of Oakville Public Library.

A vintage black and white postcard featuring the Post Office in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. The building is a symmetrical, single-story stone structure with a prominent central entrance flanked by two large windows with decorative iron grilles. Two tall lampposts stand on either side of the entrance steps. This building became the home of the Oakville Public Library in 1956 and is now the location of Tommy Bahama on Lakeshore Road in downtown Oakville.
What was once an early post office in Oakville became the Oakville Public Library in 1956 and is now Tommy Bahama at 216 Lakeshore Road East.

The Library Boards of Oakville, Trafalgar Township and Bronte Village sign an agreement to work together and launch the area's first bookmobile.

A black-and-white photograph of the 1958 bookmobile operated by the Oakville-Trafalgar-Bronte Library Boards. The vehicle is a repurposed bus with 'BOOKMOBILE' written in bold capital letters on both the side and above the windshield. A man in a suit and a woman in a dark dress with a polka-dot bow at the collar stand in front of the bookmobile, examining a large document together. The man holds a folder under his arm, while the woman is pointing to the paper held between the two of them. The license plate on the vehicle is visible, showing a 1958 Ontario registration.
Oakville Librarian Elspeth Young and unnamed man review a map of the bookmobile's route.
 

The Town of Oakville, Township of Trafalgar and Village of Bronte amalgamate to form the Town of Oakville in 1962. Oakville Public Library opens Woodside, its second location.

A photo of the Woodside Branch after it opened in 1962. It is a mid-century modern library building with a flat roof, brick and concrete walls, and large glass windows. A patterned mural decorates the entrance wall, and a sidewalk leads to double glass doors. The surrounding area includes green grass, shrubs, and a large tree partially shading the entrance. A book drop is visible near the doors.
In 1960, a report by the Oakville-Trafalgar Joint Library Boards concluded that library services needed to expand to accommodate the growing populations of the Town of Oakville and Trafalgar Township. As a result, land in southwest Trafalgar was designated for a future library, which is believed to be the site where the Woodside Branch was ultimately built.
 
Following the amalgamation of the Town of Oakville and Trafalgar Township by Act of the Ontario Legislative Assembly effective January 1, 1962, the Woodside Branch officially opened its doors on July 9, 1962.

Central Branch opens at 120 Navy Street.

A 1967 aerial view of Oakville, Ontario, showing a modernist civic building, home to the Central Branch of Oakville Public Library, a landscaped plaza, and surrounding streets. Cars of the 1960s and pedestrians are visible throughout the scene.
The Central or Centennial Branch of the Oakville Public Library celebrated its grand opening on December 9, 1967. It was opened as part of the Centennial project, Centennial building, in celebration of Canada's Centennial year.

Oakville Public Library opens a third location at White Oaks Secondary School, launching the new concept of integrating school and public library services in one.

A black-and-white photograph of the Oakville Public Library's White Oaks Branch, circa 1970s. The modernist two-story building features large glass windows framed by brick columns. The upper level has signage displaying the library's name, while the lower level shows bookshelves and an entrance.
The White Oaks Branch, OPL's third location, officially opened on March 26, 1973.

Dial-a-story was a service established that allowed children to call a special telephone number and listen to a short recorded story.

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Oakville Journal Record, 10 Apr 1978 p. 1.
The program was the only one of its kind in Canada though was quite popular in the United States. It was so successful that Bell Canada told OPL that the over 9,000 calls received per month threatened to overload the telephone system! OPL stopped advertising the telephone number and only gave it out during Children's programs.

Oakville Public Library launches "Radio Reading Service" a broadcast held out of the basement of Woodside Branch for people with print disabilities.

A bronze commemorative plaque with raised gold lettering, mounted on a dark textured background. The plaque marks the establishment of Canada’s first Radio Reading Service on May 22, 1978. It credits Richard B. Moses as the founder and secretary to the board. The Board of Directors listed includes Ronald K. Pile (Chairman), Lorne Campbell, James Holmes, John R. Simpson, and William Moore. The station manager is identified as Gordon Norman. The plaque has a simple border and shows slight wear along the edges.
The service continued until 1987.

Oakville Public Library is the first library in Ontario to adopt a computerized circulation system. Computerized check outs began at the Central Branch in the spring of 1980.

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This image appeared in the Oakville Journal Record on 9 Nov 1979. Photo © Peter Martin.
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Chief Librarian Richard Moses and Assistant Chief Librarian Eleanor James check out the new equipment.
 

The library's Information Central and Oakville Information merge and become the predecessor of the Information Oakville service that continues today.

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Information Oakville, a service of OPL, connects residents to a wide range of community supports and resources, offering essential guidance on local social services, health care, government programs, and recreational activities. Designed to meet various needs, from housing and employment to mental health and legal assistance, Information Oakville serves as a reliable community source of vital information.

Byte Size, the computer acquaintaince centre of the Oakville Public Library was opened at Trafalgar Village Mall, 125 Cross Ave. in 1983. It held computer programs for Adults and Children.

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In addition to the programs held at the Centre to improve computer literacy in the community, customers were able to rent computers to take-home. Click to read the Proposal in Oakville Images that led to the creation of this service.
 

Staff members Sharon Yates and Pat Evans create Battle of the Books.

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The winners of the first annual Battle of the Books, 1983.

Battle of the Books is an annual literacy event hosted by Oakville Public Library among Oakville elementary schools. Through book trivia, children in grades 3-8 challenge each other’s knowledge of reading knowledge for the title of champion. Oakville Public Library has been hosting this event for over 30 years, engaging students, teachers, and parent volunteers in the love of reading.
 

By the early 1980s, the Central Branch was no longer large enough to serve its customers and an extension was added.

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Construction of the addition onto Central Branch began in 1983 and was completed the following year. The branch reopened to the public on April 29, 1984. The extension added 19,000 sq. ft. to the original 1967 building and cost $1.9 million dollars, worth just over $3 million dollars in 2025.

Glen Abbey Branch opens as part of Glen Abbey Community Centre.

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Glen Abbey Branch, OPL's fourth location, officially opened on May 1, 1990.

Courtesy of a grant from the Lawson Family Foundation, the Oakville Room was created and officially opened on November 8, 1992.

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Prior to the Oakville Room, the Oakville Local History Collection was kept in what is now the Yearbook Cabinet. In addition to the Oakville Room, the Quiet Study Room on the third floor of Central was also built along with the wooden walls and accents. The computer in the Oakville Room was also the first home of the Oakville Images database which moved to an online site in 2007.

Here's what the Oakville Beaver had to say about Oakville Public Library's foray into the providing access to the internet.

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Headline from The Oakville Beaver, 21 Sep 1994, page 21
 
Quote:
Get connected at the Oakville Central Library. Hook 'on-line' to the information super highway. Find a book, check a magazine title, search corporate files, get copies of newspaper articles for research purposes . . . it's just a few keystrokes away.

There's one terminal in the library's computer bank for its public access book and periodical catalogue with a few extra keys on the keyboard, and one extra listing -- the newly formed Halton Community 
Network. 

"This is an outgrowth of Halinet," explains Pam Sadler, head of adult services, which includes computer access. "This is a community run organization which is providing a publlc access network. And, yes, it's part of "The Internet," however limited, "as the system is still under construction." 

 

Iroquois Ridge Branch opens as part of the Iroquois Ridge Community Centre.

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Our fifth location, the Iroquois Ridge Branch, was opened as part of the Iroquois Ridge Community Centre on December 27, 2001 with the official grand opening taking place on February 9, 2002.

Clearview first opened to the public as a storefront branch on the border of Oakville/Mississauga. The branch reopened to the public in a shared facility at James W. Hill Public School in 2010.

Clearview Branch is OPL's sixth location.
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1148 Winston Churchill Blvd, Unit E
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Clearview Branch at James W. Hill Public School.

Library service expands with the installation of a holds locker at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre.

In 2020, OPL Express locations further expanded into the community with the addition of a book vending machine at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre and a 2nd Express location opened at St. Luke's Community Centre. In 2022, two additional OPL Express locations were opened at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex and Rivers Oaks Community Centre.
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OPL Express Location at St. Luke's Community Centre

The renovation of the Iroquois Ridge Branch led to to the introduction of the Library's first Creation Zone.

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The Creation Zones at the Oakville Public Library (OPL) are do-it-yourself community makerspaces that offer a variety of free technology for customers to use, explore and enjoy.

Sixteen Mile Branch opens to the public.

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Sixteen Mile Branch opened as OPL's seventh location on May 1, 2019. It is a temporary branch until the permanent branch opens as part of the Sixteen Mile Community Centre.

Glen Abbey Branch is renovated and reopens to the public with a second Creation Zone for the community.

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The Creation Zones at the Oakville Public Library (OPL) are do-it-yourself community makerspaces that offer a variety of free technology for customers to use, explore and enjoy.

So much more is happening at Oakville Public Library!

2024 saw the beginning of the planning for our New Central Branch, slated to open in 2028.
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The federal building (former post office) built in 1958 at 193-197 Church Street will be the new home of the Central Branch. Be sure to follow the progress of New Central on our website

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Sixteen Mile Branch will open in 2025 as part of the Sixteen Mile Community Centre. Be sure to check our website for more details about the grand opening later this year.
 

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