The Ottawa Public Library denied six requests to remove or relocate books on the shelves of its branches in 2025. A report for the Ottawa Public Library Board shows the library received 11 formal challenges last year, including six challenges over items in the library’s collection and five challenges to a movie screening in a meeting room last year. There were 11 formal challenges for books at the Ottawa Public Library in 2024 and seven challenges in 2023. Of the six challenges to books in the library’s collection last year, staff said there was one challenge to an item in the adult collection, four items in the children’s collection and one challenge to an item in the teen collection. “All items were retained in the existing collection area,” staff said. Here is a look at the six books subjected to requests for reconsideration at the Ottawa Public Library in 2024: Remove Relocate While the Ottawa Public Library received five challenges to a movie screening in a branch meeting room last year, the event proceeded as planned. According to the report, there were five requests related to “Adult Human Female Documentary Screening” by Women’s Rights Matter Ottawa. It was scheduled for Feb. 15 and did proceed, staff said. The basis for the challenges was transphobia and anti-trans, staff said. The five desired actions related to the film were: Staff said there were no challenges received for art exhibits, library programs or displays in library branches last year.
