Kathleen O’Connell Renaud, Vice President of Operations for the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA), was surprised to learn that romance is Ottawans’ favourite book genre after the group ran an Instagram survey a few months ago. She says that result has since informed FOPLA’s book selections for its online charity bookstore, Kind Reads, which rotates roughly 2,000 books each month. (FOPLA also operates five in-person used bookstores at the Beaverbrook, Cumberland, Greenboro, Nepean Centrepointe, and Main library branches.)
Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association bookstore location. Photo provided.
“We try to keep the inventory changed up every month,” says Renaud. “So, we have a very particular selection criteria: It has to be less than two years old. It has to be within certain categories that we curate. We’ve tried to keep more trending titles, and they have to be in basically brand-new condition.”
The virtual bookstore, which added a pickup location in Beaverbrook in March, is run by 240 volunteers who hand-sort through roughly 12,000 book donations each week.
Kind Reads was launched by FOPLA’s Director of E-commerce, Aida Alvarenga, in October of 2021 during a period of quarantine when the OPL’s doors were closed. FOPLA’s initial goals were to keep operations running during the pandemic and reach a wider online audience.
With its curated selections, Kind Reads offers everything from romance to children’s literature, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors, and classics. Renaud says the group tries to offer items that are different from those available in other online stores. Currently, Kind Reads has two pickup locations: one inside the Beaverbrook library branch and the other at the James Bartleman Centre city archives building on Tallwood Dr. The charity hopes the two physical locations will make used books more accessible to readers while cutting down on shipping costs. They hope to open another pickup location in Cumberland soon.
Kind Reads Distribution Centre. Photo: Claire McCarten.
“We started with Beaverbrook because it’s the store that has the most hours in [FOPLA’s] stores,” says Renaud. “The point is that you’re still buying a book where the profits benefit the OPL.”
Prices for books listed on Kind Reads range from $5 to $13, plus international shipping. On the rare occasion, FOPLA volunteers come across higher-value items like antiquarian books: “We just sold a book two months ago that was $400,” says Renaud.
“The reason it’s called Kind Reads—it’s meant to be kind to your wallet, kind to the environment, and kind to your community.”
Kind Reads books are tax-free and available for pickup at the OPL Beaverbrook Branch and the James Bartleman Centre at 100 Tallwood Dr.
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