Ottawa Public Library looking to buy new Bookmobile at possible $1.5M cost

An Ottawa Public Library Bookmobile. (Ottawa Public Library/Facebook)

The Ottawa Public Library Board is looking at spending some of a 2024 surplus on a new bookmobile for the city.

The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) has two bookmobiles, bought in 2016 and 2020. The 2016 bookmobile is due for replacement next year and staff expect an 18-month procurement process, so a report recommends getting started now on acquiring a new vehicle.

The last bookmobile cost $750,000, according to the report. Staff believe costs will have likely doubled in the last five years, accounting for year-over-year inflation, the continued supply chain and manufacturing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the expected economic impact of tariffs.

Staff recommend that $1.5 million be allocated toward the cost of a new bookmobile.

The report states that the OPL finished the 2024 fiscal year in a surplus position of $1.85 million, with total gross revenue up 6.1 per cent over 2023. Staff said the surplus result is primarily a combination of revenue performance surpassing planned expectations and less-than-anticipated expenditures in compensation.

“As part of the 2025 budget process, the Board was advised that, should funding be available, staff would bring forward a request for the purchase of a bookmobile using a portion of any fiscal year 2024 surplus,” the report says. “The report explained that staff anticipate significant financial pressures in 2026 and 2027, with stabilization in 2028, and that the use of a portion of any surplus to purchase the bookmobile would offset future financial pressures and allow staff to bring a new vehicle online in keeping with the replacement timelines.”

The OPL bookmobiles offer browsing of a small collection at all stops. Each of the two vehicles has its own unique collection. You can see a schedule of stops at the Ottawa Public Library Website.