Library and Archives Canada

Good screening space except for the doors at the front. Who puts doors at the front of a theater?

The Library and Archives building is a great venue for hosting a medium sized event in Ottawa.
I was there last week for two book launches and the main lobby was the perfect fit for this type of event. It’s bright, open and has great acoustics. The lower sunken in level in the middle can act as a lowered stage with people standing or sitting around the outside.
I’ve also attended a concert in the theatre located on the right as you enter the building. I was quite surprised by this venue and the jazz ensemble that was playing that afternoon gave it high praise and I’d consider them to be more of the experts when it came to playing good venues than myself!
The parking situation is fine in the evening or on weekends (free and it’s located just off Wellington Street to the east of the building) but this is a high traffic area during weekday business hours.
For corporate or community events the Library and Archives has a few different areas of the building to host your event.

The purpose of Library and Archives Canada is to preserve and display various pieces of Canadian heritage, such as art, music, archival records and books. There are many interesting events constantly being offered at this building, often for very cheap.
However, the reason I’m reviewing this government building is to reveal one of my favourite offerings that perhaps more people could benefit from. The Library and Archives often runs film festivals, usually focusing on films from specific countries. It’s even less known that even when they don’t have a festival running, the LAC often screens foreign and Canadian films and docs. Admission is almost always cheap. Keep an eye on their event listings through the above website link.