Ottawa Trans Library
Community center in Ottawa, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ottawa Trans Library is a library focusing on transgender books, founded by Tara Sypniewski in the Hintonburg neighbourhood and opened on May 29, 2022.[1] The library functions as a non-profit lending library and community center.[2]
- Ottawa ON, Canada
Exterior view of the Ottawa Trans Library. | |
| Founded | May 29, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Tara Sypniewski |
| Type | Not-for-Profit Corporation November 1, 2022 |
| Location |
|
| Products | Books by trans authors, historical works on trans issues and people, non-trans titles, and future plans include a music library. |
| Services | Lending library Resource center Community space Community events Book donations |
| Website | Ottawa Trans Library |
Background
In the late 1970s, Tara Sypniewski sought to research transgender experiences using limited resources like Deborah Heller Feinbloom's Transvestites & Transexuals: Mixed Views from the Ottawa Public Library. Since the 1980s, Sypniewski had participated in Ottawa's transgender community and its organizations, and she established the Ottawa Trans Library in 2022 as a library and community space.[1][3]
Services
The library is structured into a lending section dedicated to trans-themed books and a free library housing non-trans titles. The library receives donations, and its catalog includes graphic novels, local zines, and even transphobic titles.[3]
Since its inception, the Ottawa Trans Library has experienced significant growth, expanding its collection from 190 titles to approximately 700 by February 2024. It has plans to establish a music library, supported by a donation of 500 albums from trans musicians.[4][5]
