Online Resources

Use our free online resources for consumer research, online classes, language learning, newspaper reading and more.

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  • Research

    Canada's Information Resource Centre

    A virtual who's who and what's where in Canada. Canada’s Information Resource Centre now provides online access to four titles that we currently have in our collection:

    • Canadian Almanac and Directory

    The Almanac section has its own pages and is searchable along with the directory.

    • Associations Canada

    Introductory material is only available in PDF, the other content is searchable from the search fields.

    • Canadian Parliamentary Guide

    Introductory material is only available in PDF, the other content can be searched by various fields.

    • Canadian Who’s Who

    It has its own search screen. Please just click on the title and it will take you to the search screen.

     

    Since all those four printed titles are for in-library use only, this online remote access will provide a convenient option to access a diverse array of virtual who’s who and what’s where in Canada

    This online access is for a single-user license. If you have trouble logging on you may wish to try again later

     

     

    Content Language
    English
  • Research

    Canadian Encyclopedia

    This encyclopedia includes over 40,000 articles and 60,000 photographs, as well as maps, graphs, games, quizzes and videos. Updated regularly, it contains The Encylopedia of Canada, The Youth Encyclopedia of Canada. (in English only) The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, Feature articles on different subjects, MacLean’s Magazine articles and The Timeline of Canadian History.

    Content Language
    Bilingual
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
  • Research

    Canadian Major Dailies_ProQuest (Formerly Canadian Newsstand)

    This full-text database includes the complete available electronic backfiles for major national and regional newspapers from 1985 to current, providing full access to the articles, columns, editorials, and features. Content is updated daily.  Among the titles are The Globe and Mail, National Post, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star, Regina Leader Post, Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun and the Victoria Times Colonist.  The Globe and Mail backfile coverage starts in 1977.

    Full text remote access for Globe & Mail is available here.

    • Login to Canadian Major Dailies_ProQuest
    • Click on Publications located on the top bar of the page
    • Type Globe and Mail in the search box
    • Click on the search results for The Globe and Mail (Jan. 1, 2020 – present)
    • Browse specific issues
    Content Language
    English
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Research

    Canadiana

    This bilingual online resource offers historical content about Canada from the first European settlers to the early 20th century. This includes digitized books, magazines and government documents and spans 21 languages.

    Content Language
    Bilingual
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Watch

    CBC Corner

    CBC Corner - Discover the best Canadian shows, stories & more.

    Developed specifically for public libraries, CBC Corner is a digital portal that brings together the wide

    variety of CBC and Radio-Canada digital content and resources into a single experience

    This one-of-a-kind digital portal allows you to access a wide variety of content including

    trusted news, local stories, entertaining TV and radio shows, award-winning podcasts,

    educational kids content, innovative podcasts, a free English and French language

    learning app, news in foreign languages, and much more!

    Content Language
    Bilingual
  • Research

    Consumer Reports

    ConsumerReports.org provides unbiased ratings and reviews, recommendations and buying advice from expert Consumer Reports’ testers for thousands of products and services such as cars, electronics, appliances, and more. Frequently updated articles, blogs and video content allow consumers to find the latest consumer news — such as product recalls.

    Articles from the CR current issue, archives from 2012 to 2022,  and a five-year Index are all available.

    Content Language
    English
    Help Guide(s)
    Articles from Current Magazine Issue
    Magazine Archive from 2012 to 2022
    Past five-year Index
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Learn

    Creativebug

    Learn how to paint, knit, sew, and much more. Creativebug offers thousands of award-winning arts & crafts free video classes and workshops. They are all taught by recognized design experts and artists.

    Categories include Knitting, Crochet, Art & Design, Paper, Sewing, Quilting, Jewelry, Kids, Food & Home, Holiday & Party, and include beginner and advanced classes.

    Videos are completely ad-free. All have public performance rights and can be used by library programs to broadcast virtual Craft-A-Longs via Zoom, Facebook Live, YouTube, etc. Creativebug adds a minimum of 35 pieces of new content a month.

    You can create an account using your email address.

    Dec.16,2025

    We are aware that some clients are experiencing intermittent issues with the Creativebug video player. In certain cases, clients may be logged out when trying to access a video.

    If this happens, simply log back in with your library card and PIN from the CreativeBug library landing page, and the issue should be resolved.

    This is a temporary measure while Creativebug works to identify and fix the root cause. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

    Once the issue has been fully resolved, we will provide an update to let you know.

    Thank you for using Creativebug through the Ottawa Public Library.

    Content Language
    English
    Help Guide(s)
    Creativebug Customer Support
    Available Apps
    Apple
    Google
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Watch

    Curio.ca

    Curio.ca offers access to thousands of commercial-free educational video and audio streams from CBC and Radio-Canada. Categories include Canadian history, health, business, children's programming, Indigenous studies and many others.

    Content Language
    Bilingual
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
  • Read

    Hill Times

    The Hilltimes.com – Canada’s political and government news service

    Customers can access PDF versions of Ottawa's own twice-weekly newspaper, as well as previous, achieved issues back to 2004, or download and print a copy.  They can also search articles dating back to 1989, and access PDF versions of the Embassy Archives from 2004 to 2016. The Hill Times absorbed Embassy magazine and doubled its print edition to be twice-a-week starting from April 2016.

    In addition to the digital edition of the Hill Times, there will be full access to HillTimes.com for daily updated breaking exclusive stories and in-depth articles about the people, the policies, and the politics that make the news. Enjoy a diversity of opinions and points of view, from various political angles.

    Both In-library and unlimited simultaneous remote access from home are available.

    The Hill Times is independently owned and based in Ottawa. Their website states that they are independent and non-partisan. Articles are written by well-respected journalists.

    Content Language
    English
  • Watch

    Hoopla

    This digital media service provides customers access to motion picture films, television shows, complete music albums, graphic novels & comics, and BingePasses. The collection includes current and past hits, as well as classics. There is a variety of genres to choose from, with something for all ages. Let's be connected, inspired, and entertained together every day!

    • The collection is not permanent – titles get pulled and new content is added all the time.
    • Customers can stream or temporarily download up to 4 titles per month per card. The download feature is available exclusively on mobile devices, through the app.
    • The borrowing period for movie and TV content is between 48-72 hours (2-3 days), music albums (considered as one item) are 7 days, and comics collection is 21 days.
    • Titles are available instantly with no holds, waitlists, or late fees.
    • Borrowed titles are automatically returned following the borrowing period.
    • Hoopla is accessible from your computer, laptop, or wireless device.
    • Customers must register for an account with an email address and a valid OPL card number, in order to access the service.
    • The data used to stream Hoopla from the Internet at home or from your mobile device will count towards your Internet service provider’s monthly bandwidth cap. Watching a regular-length movie uses about 1GB of data for each stream of standard definition video. Streaming an album uses about 35 MB of data.

    Due to rising costs from increased usage and higher prices per item, we’re adjusting Hoopla’s borrowing limits to ensure sustainable access for all clients.

    Now, the monthly credit for Hoopla has been  reduced from 6 to 4 credits per month.

    By popular request, hoopla is now available on Android Auto! Listen to music more safely and easily using your vehicle's in-dash display.

    There are two types of BingePass available on Hoopla now. Each checkout of an individual BingePass offers Unlimited Streaming for 7 days with a single borrow

    • The Great Courses BingePass: Gain access to hundreds of popular online courses from leading experts and professors. The robust platform includes courses on language, history, travel, fitness, nutrition, personal and professional development, and more.
    • Curiosity Stream BingePass: Access thousands of High-quality and engaging documentaries, films, shows, and series covering science, nature, travel, history, and more. Curiosity Stream has something for everyone - including an entire Curiosity KIDS collection tailored for younger learners

     

     

     

     

    Content Language
    English
    Help Guide(s)
    How Do I Update My Library Card Number in Hoopla?
    Getting Started with Hoopla Digital
    Hoopla on Android Auto
    Available Apps
    Apple
    Google
    Privacy and Terms of Use
    Privacy Policy
    Terms of Use
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