Left to right: Ed Chow, Deputy Reeve for the Village of Petawawa, Dennis Carmody, Deputy Reeve for the Township of Petawawa, Mike Habec, Reeve for the Village of Petawawa, Sean Conway, Renfrew North MPP, Jim Jones, Reeve for the Township of Petawawa, B.G. Watt, Former Reeve, Dr. R. Robinson, Library Board Chairperson

In the fall of 2004, our expanded library opened. Click here for photos of the construction.

In 1973, the township and village of Petawawa agreed to form a Union Library Board. As a result of this agreement the "Petawawa Village and Township Union Library" was officially opened on May 12, 1975 at the Petawawa Civic Centre.

The Library was made possible with the financial assistance of the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation, which agreed to finance the library largely by an annual grant based on the population of two municipalities. The Eastern Ontario Library System (now called the Southern Ontario Library Service) also agreed to provide assistance to the Petawawa Library, since it was a member of the system.

At the time of the opening, the new library contained approximately 3500 books, and was open to the public every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Many of the staff worked on a volunteer basis.

With membership increasing to 4000, as well as the growing volume of books, the library's location, which at the time was a room of 1900 square feet, was fast becoming inadequate. Therefore, early in 1980, Dr. R. Robinson, Chairman of the Petawawa Union Library Board, decided that measures should be taken to build an extension onto the library. The original plan was to build a separate section of the library on Civic Centre grounds, however the final decision was that a new section would be added onto the Civic Centre. This alternative was cheaper, and would contribute in the efficient upkeep of the entire building.

Once the actual construction of the extension to the library began, the library had to relocate. In August of 1982, the Petawawa library moved upstairs in the Civic Centre to provide limited, but not discontinued service. This allowed for renovating the existing facilities and expansion. The work was scheduled for completion by mid-November, and the costs were estimated at $260,000. Included in the renovations of the existing structure was a designated "meeting room".

A Wintario grant of $136,000 was provided with the stipulation that the two Petawawa municipal governments each contribute a substantial amount. Since total costs of the extension were $260,000, and each council contributed $48,750, $26,000 more was still required. The library board therefore formed a fundraising committee. Under the chairmanship of Mr. Don Shade, the committee raised a significant portion of $15,000 through a yard sale, a raffle for a rocking chair, three 50-50 draws, door-to-door canvassing, and a mailout campaign. The construction of the library's addition was finally made possible after the generous donations of $6000 from both the Petawawa Rotary Club and the Petawawa Civic Centre Fundraising Committee.

The "reconstructed" Petawawa Union Library was opened on Wednesday, December 29, 1982 at 8:00 pm. During the opening ceremonies Dr. Robinson commented that the library truly is "a cultural and interest centre for all ages", as well as, "a place for intellectual growth" .

With the amalgamation of the Township of and Village in 1997, the name of the facility changed to the Petawawa Public Library.

However, the Petawawa Public Library was not yet done growing.

On October 1, 2003 the library closed its doors at 16 Civic Centre Rd. and the move began to its temporary home at the old Pharma Plus building on Victoria Street.

Construction at the old site began in late October, and throughout the winter and spring many new and exciting changes were made. While the building was going through its transformation, the Fundraising Committee was hard at work. The estimated cost of the renovated building was 1.5 million dollars, and the multi-purpose room (known as the Rotary Room) estimate was another 250,000 dollars. Through the support from many businessess and residents, the Committee managed to raise the money needed for the Rotary Room in a short time. As the Town had put monies aside for this project, and the Fundraising Committee looked after the furnishings necessary, the building was debt free upon completion.

Left to right: Mayor Bob Sweet, Library Board Chairperson Lynne Sawford, patron Dylan, Joe Classey; past Library Board member, and volunteer.

On August 2, 2004 the temporary location of the Petawawa Public Library closed, and the move back to the newly renovated library began. Many things were not yet fully complete, and the opening of the facility to the public was delayed. On September 24, 2004 an official opening ceremony was held for dignitaries and donors, and on October 4, 2004 the Petawawa Public Library was opened to the public.

To everyone who made this wonderful building possible,"Thank you." Without the support of Town Council, fundraisers and donors, library staff, Civic Centre staff, volunteers, and the supportive residents of Petawawa, this facility would not have been realized.

The Petawawa Public Library remains a community meeting place and with its growing resources and services it continues to offer a wide range of information sources to all of its members.