It’s certainly my kind of place and I doubt I’m alone. If more and more of our economy is driven by data, information and knowledge, the storage and maintenance of information should be all the more important. Finding ways to build value from information and organize it in such a way that people can get something from it is something that librarians should be really great at.

Why don’t we have temples of data and information built in Ottawa? What does our city need from a library? Are we doing enough to make sure that a diverse range of Ottawans have access to the information and data they need to compete in our new knowledge economy?

Much of the hope for a temple of data in downtown Ottawa was squashed in the summer of 2010, when plans fell apart to acquire the block at Albert, Bay, Slater and Lyon for a new main branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

It got us thinking about the future of the public library in Ottawa and what we should be planning for. In what ways are the politics and economics of information changing what we need from libraries?

We’ve assembled a panel of some of the city’s librarian-philosophers to chat about what they see as the library of the future and how they see their profession evolving for the digital age.

• Leslie Weir, University Librarian at the University of Ottawa and former executive with the Canadian Association of Research Libraries.
• Jennifer Stirling, Division Manager for System-Wide Services & Innovation at the Ottawa Public Library
• Mary Cavanagh, Assistant Professor in Information Studies at the University of Ottawa

Join us Wednesday, June 26 at the Shopify Lounge for an evening of discussion and debate on the future of the public library in Ottawa. We’ll do live interviews on stage from 7-8 pm, pour the Kichesippi and see where things go. We’ll have librarians, beer and bloggers!

You NEED to pre-register for this talk on Eventbrite.

Thanks to the Public Service Alliance of Canada for their financial support, Awesome Ottawa for giving us some cash to get this lecture off the ground, and special thanks to Maker for our awesome logo. Also, thanks to Shopify for lending us their office for the evening.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Getting underway tonight, Startup Weekend is a boot camp of sorts, where people can bring an idea and pitch it. Attendees can come on board and help out, or simply offer constructive criticism and guidance. Then, based on the ideas deemed interesting, groups will have one weekend to create a protoype for the business.

It’s a quick introduction, and one that helps new companies hone their ideas and get critical early feedback.  ”Everyone goes in with a different goal,” says Cheryl Draper, one of the weekend’s organizers. Some attendees might be there for feedback, while some might just want to learn the strategies.

And some, like Brandon Waselnuk, might find a team of founders to help bring their ideas to market. In 2012, Waselnuk showed off his idea for a community of tattoo enthusiasts at the weekend. And now, with the help of an indie-gogo campaign, he’s launching Tattoo Hero.

“We want to build a great community of tattoo enthusiasts and artists where they can all get inspired,” says Waselnuk. “It’s about time that we had a place to go to check out tattoo designs. And if you want, you can even connect with the artist and their shop.”

The weekend allows participants access to peers and mentors who can be helpful for future entrepreneurs and can motivate them to pull the concept together.

“We run our entire company on the concepts of lean startup,” says Waselnuk. “[Last year's] weekend was a fantastic way to introduce those topics and force you to live them.”  The folks behind Tattoo Hero are currently bootstrapping the company with funds raised from their crowdfunding campaign, but they have hope that their community can start to sustain itself.

“Damn right libraries shouldn’t be book-lined Internet cafes. They should be book-lined, computer-filled information-dojos where communities come together to teach each other black-belt information literacy, where initiates work alongside noviates to show them how to master the tools of the networked age from the bare metal up.”

The question of what a library should be is particularly topical as the Ottawa Public Library is launching a month-long public consultation on its future. Called Imagine, the campaign asks Ottawans to share their ideas about what roles the library should keep, which ones it should set aside, and what new roles it should play in the future.

In my opinion, the Doctorow blog post is a must-read when thinking about the possibilities of the library of the future. His key point is that, in an age of information overload, libraries and librarians are more important than ever. They can help the public navigate through the tons of chaff to get to the sweet kernels of real knowledge hidden in the internet. His next step for libraries is for them to become a place where people can go to truly understand the technology that increasingly rules our lives. Imagine students taking apart old laptops to see how they work, or old-timers like me getting up close access to a 3D printer.

The OPL’s Library of Today video posted above makes the point that, even today, libraries are more than just “book-lined internet cafes”. They teach people how to use technology, get media to housebound individuals, and give access to people who don’t otherwise have access to the web. They also ease access to real life places like museums or help people navigate processes like starting your own business.

If you have ideas about the library of the future, contribute to the OPL’s campaign by June 15th.

“If you wanna keep it going, you gotta keep it small.” These words of the gregarious Mr. So, owner of the So Good Restaurant, summed up the theme of Apt613’s Jane’s Walk through Ottawa’s eclectic little Chinatown: small businesses, community and people who care.

What? People who care – in Chinatown? Isn’t Chinatown just the place where you go for dim sum, where the unspoken agreement is to throw down a 10% tip and get scowled at in return? No wait, that’s Toronto – or, at least, going anywhere with my parents. This is Ottawa. Amongst Canada’s most inclusive, Ottawa’s Chinatown is for everyone: it is a small, tight-knit community of artsy coffee shops that double as nightspots, Asian supermarkets, Chinese restaurants and a legion of similarly named Pho restaurants.

Hovering over it all is the massive Royal Archway on the corner of Bronson and Somerset, our third stop, made in traditional Chinese style in Beijing, donated and opened by the Chinese Embassy in 2010. Ottawa’s archway is unique in that it contains nine separate “little roofs”, the highest number of little roofs on an archway and a sign of honour befitting an emperor, explained Grace Xin, Executive Director of the Somerset Street Chinatown Business Improvement Area. Those Chinese characters on it – the top says “Ottawa” and the bottom says “Chinatown”. Chinatown, we learned, was originally two stores on Bank Street that somehow found their way to Somerset.

As is the case with most of Centretown, a majority of the restaurants there today were residences decades ago and were converted into businesses in the 70s, which was also the time Ottawa’s landmark Chinese restaurant/social venue Shanghai was established. On Saturday evenings, Shanghai hosts karaoke night with local hosted by local icon Chinadoll (aka Ed Kwan), who let us in on the origins of the night… and her name. “Eight years ago, a girl had her bachelorette here, and they wanted me to sing, and I had this wig on, and my brother said go on… and call yourself Chinadoll!” Saturday nights were never the same again. Mild-mannered establishment by day, venue at night. This was another theme of the walk.

While Chinatown technically does not have any bars or clubs, there is no shortage of venues for nights out. We stopped at two relatively new cafés, The Daily Grind and Raw Sugar Cafe.  Though they use the word “café” – these joints are more like bar/café/music venue/art gallery/restaurant/community centre, as their offerings go far beyond typical café fare. Together with Umi Café, these three independent cafés form a triangle of community events. Into Tex-Mex and Heavy Metal? Then try the Daily Grind’s Tex-Mex menu, and then stay for the weekly metal party. Into playing board games and listening to beats? Raw Sugar hosts “Beats & Boards” on Tuesdays. Weekly music guests and special events dot Chinatown’s social calendar at these venues.

Our next stop was Zen Kitchen, which opened four years ago, owner David Loan explained, with the guiding philosophy of a place where everyone can dine regardless of dietary restrictions or moral views. Offering a strictly vegan menu, they use no animal products at all – not even honey or dairy products. “If we need something that approximates cream, we’ll make it with cashews.” I wasn’t sure how that would taste – but I want to try. Zen Kitchen supports the “Community Supported Agriculture” model: they give local farmers money to grow stuff, and in return, farmers give them the fresh stuff. This approach seemed to be held in high regard by others in Chinatown, corroborated by Mr. So, owner of So Good Restaurant. “People don’t understand where that extra dollar in the price goes – it goes to the ingredients. And we believe people will pay that extra dollar for something better.”

We also stopped at Highjinx and found out that it isn’t actually a store (as I thought passing it many times) but actually a centre for non-traditional social work. Highjinx owner Karen Neilson told us are more like a community hub for the down trodden, they offer food to the homeless, furnish the homes of the less fortunate – and they do it all by selling antiques that are donated!

But enough about all this feel good community stuff – let’s get down to the real questions: why are there are so many pho restaurants and and why are they are all called PHO BO GA? Pho Bo Ga La, Pho Bo Ga La 2, Pho Bac, Pholicious… the list goes on. The second last stop of the tour was with Pho-guides Don and Jen of Foodieprints. The reason, they speculated, is that Pho entrepreneurs just aren’t that creative. But here’s the basic breakdown: “PHO” is obviously the delicious noodle soup we all know and love, “BO” means beef, and “GA” means chicken. Noodle. Beef. Chicken. Ottawa’s pho is of high quality because like the rest of the venues visited, they actually make the stock and the pho is different in each one. Simple enough – but what about “LA”? I asked. That, they did not know – one of Chinatown’s many mysteries.

Editor’s Note: The trip also stopped by Purple Urchin Soap works and the Bridgehead Roastery, but Jason had to run as the Jane’s Walk was running long. Thanks to the owners for their participation.  

Beechwood Avenue is the heart and soul of Ottawa’s New Edinburgh neighbourhood, a unique street that links upscale communities like Rockcliffe with grittier working class Vanier. Like many once vibrant mainstreets, Beechwood is struggling to define itself as a modern community hub—especially after a 2011 fire destroyed a block of apartments and businesses on the street. But there is a lot of hope in this community, clearly on display in the crowd of about 75 people who took part in the Bring Back Beechwood Jane’s Walk on Sunday.

The walk celebrated “people power” as the group strolled the bike path along the Ottawa River— beautiful parkland that was once slated to be an extension of the Vanier Parkway before community activists stepped in. The long history of Beechwood Avenue, from early streetcars and industrial manufacturing, through Rocky Horror nights at the Towne Cinema in the 70s, to the new condo developments sprouting up along the street, came to life thanks to local residents who served as walk guides.

The tone was set by Tobi Nussbaum, Chair of the Beechwood Village Alliance, who read and illustrated the principles of urban theorist Jane Jacobs at stops along the walk. The group talked about incentives to invest in the community in a vacant lot long undeveloped thanks to bizarre tax advantages, ironically adjacent to El Meson, a recent investment of young local restauranteur André Cloutier, owner of the popular Arturo’s Market.

Beechwood is about to undergo a lot of redevelopment, with new condos serving as anchors at either end of the avenue, and a large parcel of land at St. Charles Church coming up next. Preserving the heritage of the area, a place where French, English and new Canadian communities are integrated and live side by side, is a big part of the discussion. Taking the successes of other up and coming neighborhoods like Hintonburg, without repeating mistakes, is also on the minds of many people. Judging from the turnout on Sunday, there is plenty of interest in doing what it takes to Bring Back Beechwood.

Meet us at Dundonald Park on Saturday, May 4th at 2pm. We’ll help you get to know Somerset West a little bit better.

This is just one of a ton of Jane’s Walks happening all over the city. For more on the project and information on walks happening in your neck of the woods, check out www.janeswalkottawa.ca.

Last week I went for a trip to the museum to reconnect with nature and was met by a raucous crowd of hundreds of party-goers sipping on cocktails and dancing to the loud beats of a DJ.  This was the third of a now monthly installment of Nature Nocturne, a social evening at the Nature Museum bringing in a new crowd of visitors to reconnect with Nature while they dance the night away.

It was this last aspect of the program that was the topic of my scrutiny upon my visit Thursday night, during which I mostly stayed in an upstairs area whose installation had the theme of ‘Birds’.  I enjoyed a few drinks, danced a bit to the music, oggled a video projection mash-up of local avi-fauna and abstract shapes, all while observing the dancing crowd and the clusters of loudly chatting groups of friends… realizing only too late that this is what uncool older types like myself have a habit of doing at parties.  However, I kept asking myself, are we getting closer to nature at the moment?  It was unfortunately too loud for me to ask that question to anyone else.

I decided to explore a few more of the exhibits on my way out and really enjoyed the fossils depicting Archaeopteryx, a feathered bird-like dinosaur, as well as the transitional reconstructions of the evolution of whales from terrestrial mammals.  But was I alone in this learning experience at the museum? Happily, there was a constant stream of traffic through these exhibit halls and in some cases party-goers would exclaim aloud when their minds had been blown by a fact of natural history that they had just learned…. But mostly, these side rooms to the main attraction were used as chill zones and areas where gaggles of teenage girls could huddle and frantically consult the world according to their smartphones.

Whether or not these social events constitute a scientific learning experience and a chance to reconnect to nature for most of its revelers is still up for debate, but to address the issue is of absolute importance.  We are now several generations into a society that has had little meaningful experience in terms of contact with nature.  What for me were the bugs, the forest and the creeks of my youth’s playtime, have long since been replaced by video games, popular media, texting and Facebook in the lives of today’s youth.  As scientists we have a duty and an opportunity to reach out to society and help to inspire people with awe and respect for nature, the environment and the universe.  However, the traditional scientist’s delivery of facts and figures are often met with tedium or miscomprehension and another method is now needed to bring science and nature back to the people.  I am convinced that one of the important components in this process will be through the delivery of science and nature content in arts and entertainment.

So if everyone had a good time dancing and partying at Nature Nocturne last Thursday and just a few of us got something extra in terms of a more meaningful understanding and connection to nature, then I would consider it a successful event.

This year Apartment613 and Artengine continue our endeavor to foster new perspectives on the media arts landscape with an open call for the 2013 Critical Blogging Residency.

This residency is for an art critic or cultural journalist from the Ottawa-Gatineau area, who will cross post thought-provoking dialogues on the Artengine and Apartment613 blogs throughout the year.

Conceived as a creative space for expression and research into culture, technology and social engagement, the content and direction will be developed in consultation with the Artistic Director of Artengine.

The residency begins with a research trip to Montréal to attend and review the 2013 Elektra Festival, one of North America’s premiere digital culture events.

The resident will also receive critical feedback and professional development through the Articulation series at the Ottawa Art Gallery. Applicants must be based in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, and are requested to send a resume and letter of introduction. The letter of introduction should describe your interest in electronic and media arts, what you would bring to Apartment613 and Artengine, and your involvement in previous online projects. Additionally, applicants must submit at least two links to writings published online.

The successful applicant will receive a $1,800.00 honorarium over the course of the residency; one trip (Ottawa-Montreal) to the 2013 Elektra festival (including travel, accommodation, per diem, and one festival pass to all Elektra 2013 events); and attend a critical art writing workshop from the Ottawa Art Gallery during “Articulation.”

Applicants must be available for travel to Montréal for the Elektra Festival from May 1-6, 2013.

Please submit letters and CV in PDF form to operations@artengine.ca.

The deadline for submission is Friday March 22, 2013 has been extended until Monday April 1st.

The successful applicant will be notified by Monday April 8, 2013.

For further information please contact either:
Moonsun Choi, Operations Manager at Artengine operations[a]artengine.ca
Diane Bond, Visual Art Editor at Apartment613 apartment613[a]gmail.com

About Artengine
artengine.ca

Artengine is an Ottawa-based collective of artists, technologists and interested members of the general public with strong ties to the local, national and international community of technologically-based artists.

Our mission at Artengine is to drive your creativity.

Our vision is to connect artists, art audiences and the general public locally, nationally and internationally.

We aim to be a highly flexible organization that leverages strategic partnerships to produce ambitious public projects with an international reach, reputation and contribution, combined with responsive, short term programming and the capacity to incubate new artistic ideas and trends through their natural life cycles.

We value democratic access to our facilities and know-how as well as to our organization as a whole. We also value and facilitate connections between artists and members of the general public with an interest in technology.

About Apartment613
Apt613.ca

Apartment613 is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of promoting arts, culture and civic engagement in the National Capital Region. Apt613.ca engages with Ottawans online by organizing, collaborating on, previewing and reviewing arts and culture events in our city. A completely volunteer-run organization, our vision is to help create a city recognized for its vibrant and innovative culture.

As a website, Apt613.ca leverages the passion of community volunteers to produce professional media content. The blog provides an outlet for the promotion and publicity of Ottawa artists and events, and is a place where readers can engage on topics of community interest. Volunteer editors work with bloggers on stories to help them grow into cultural critics, journalists, reviewers and photographers of Ottawa’s cultural and political scene.

It’s St. Paddy’s day this weekend, folks, and we’ve got just the burlesque show to celebrate. Need something a little more traditional? Head out to your local pub, Irish or not! Guaranteed they’ll be in a festive mood.

Tonight at the NAC, you can catch the hip-hop/rock/soul music of Sound of Lions, while Algoma releases her new album down at the Mercury Lounge. Three local bands will take to the stage at the Lunenburg Pub for their weekly battle of the bands – this week, Go Long (!), Leadfoot Pretty, and The Way compete for your affection (and votes). Friday night, Glorious MoonRockets play at Burgers on Main (on Somerset), while those of you needing to dance should head to Mercury Lounge or Timekode. Also on Friday, the Cafe Alt concert series continues, with cheap local beer and great music – John McKiel and Scattered Clouds are up this time. Saturday? Inlet Sound and Amos the Transparent stop by Zaphod’s for the early show.

We’ve also got a new record label in town – head to Spins and Needles Friday night to get a limited edition copy of their first album! If you need more craft in your life, get your fill at their silkscreening workshop on Sunday.

You know spring is really in the air when sugar bush spots start opening, and you start craving the epic breakfasts they serve. Planned Parenthood also has Spring Fever, their fundraiser and rock show tonight at Babylon. In other fundraisers, CHUO continues to hold their funding drive, and Saturday night will have StillNative, Hearts and Mines, and DJ Adam Saikaley at Mavericks to raise a bit o’ cash. A night of spoken word will raise money for cancer research down at Bijou Lounge on Saturday night. ICAfrica is also holding a fundraiser, this one with a few comedy greats. Need even more laughs? Grounded can hook you up!

If you can’t wait for what summer is going to bring, Arboretum Arts Festival + Party is throwing a little fundraising bash with the Hilotrons and Silkken Laumann at Babylon on Friday night.

Are you an aspiring art writer or critic? On Saturday, the Ottawa Art Gallery is hosting Articulation, a critical art writing workshop – and we have a ticket to give away! From 10am-4pm, the lucky winner spend the day learning from prominent members of the national art writing community. Email us the name of the facilitator of Articulation at apartment613[a]gmail.com and we’ll enter you into the draw. Contest closes at 6pm today.

What else are you up to this weekend, Ottawa?

Artengine is an artist-run centre that focuses on art and technology, and that’s how they started getting into media like laser cutting and 3D printing. “Artists were using these tools more and more” says Evans-Fenton, so they decided to acquire them. In recent years, Artengine began noticing more of a “maker” trend, where creators would come in to the lab to gain access to these tools. The recent purchase of 2 Ultimaker 3D printers greatly improves on the technology they once had. “Our Makerbot (their first 3D printer) dates from 3 years ago, which in 3D printing years is a long time. The Makerbot seems like it’s 30 years old when you compare what both models can do.”

The price of the open source Ultimaker is about $2,000. You have to build it yourself…which perfectly fits with the ethos of the artists, makers and hackers who gravitate towards Artengine. The open source printer was put together just last week at Mod Lab – Artengine’s weekly hacker get together. Say what? A weekly hacker get together? Ottawa never ceases to amaze me. Aside from the hacker crowd, Evans-Fenton tells mes there’s a diverse crowd that will be using the new Ultimakers from artists to designers and jewellers to life time public servants that dig creating things in their free time.

Aside from reading an article a last year in The Economist on the future of 3D printing, I felt very much like a neophyte. Not too sure how the process worked, a colleague of mine suggested bringing a mug that they might be able reproduce. Not so. Typically, someone will design something using 3D software like 3D Sketch Up, AutoCAD and Blender, or will scan an object using a 3D scanner. Artengine doesn’t own an official 3D scanner but they can hack their way to create one via a Kinect. Once this is done, you put the design through a slicer that slices the image of the object in many layers, and this is what ends up being sent to the printer. Britta had started a print for me – an owl made out of corn plastic – I was able to take home. The printing process, for the 5 cm high object took about 45 minutes. The new printer will be able to create objects of varying complexity – but is by no means an industrial sized printer – something Artengine hopes to be able in the future…but for now they only dream of it.

The reason for Saturday’s 3D print-a-thon is to showcase the new printer, and what it can do, but it’s also an opportunity for the 3D maker community to showcase their work. It will be a great opportunity to learn about 3D printing in Ottawa and the makers behind it. The city’s foremost 3D printers will be at the even to showcase their own machines and designs. Don’t miss out!