Publications and Presentations

Did you have a story to share about the history of Ottawa? Would you like to publish or present with the Historical Society of Ottawa? HSO looks at topics within the Ottawa-Gatineau area and the Ottawa Valley. We are committed to highlighting the diverse experiences of Indigenous peoples, racialized groups, vulnerable communities (including but not limited to: children/youth, low income/in poverty, women, elder, etc.), LGBTQ2+ groups, and others, who continue to enrich our communities. We have many options for you, presented below.

French Presentations/Publications

We offer publications and a series of conferences in French. You can contact Christine (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for more details.

Speaker's Series

We host over a dozen Speaker's Series sessions each year, either in person at the Ottawa Public Library or virtually on Zoom, each being about one hour followed by a Q&A session. You can contact Scheherazade at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information. Past sessions are outlined in the meetings section of our website and recordings available via our YouTube channel.

Memory Project 

The HSO’s Memory Project is an initiative designed to preserve and celebrate the history of our community and its members. This project aims to collect, digitize and preserve the personal stories, photographs and documents of those who call, or have called, Ottawa home. 

Through this project, we hope to preserve these stories for future generations and to provide accessible, educational resources for all those interested in learning more about the history of our city. By celebrating our shared history, we're building a stronger, more connected community where everyone's story is valued and remembered. 

If you have a story you’d like to share, please reach out to Sadie and John at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and you can view the stories on the Memory Project page of our website.

Social Media

We have active Facebook and Instagram pages. Ben (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) can help you there if you wish to make a post  or simply join us and jump with your comments on our posts on social media! 

Quarterly Newsletter

For content that is roughly of a page or two, we have the Capital Chronicle newsletter which Richard spearheads (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). You can read past issues on the newsletters section of our website.

Blog

Are you a historian, heritage professional or member of the public who is actively engaged in historical research related to the Ottawa area? Interested in sharing your research in a shorter (500-1000 words) blog format? The HSO blog team would love to hear from you! Full details and past blog posts can be viewed on the Blog page of our website.

The HSO blog team would also love to hear from student bloggers. As an extension of the HSO blog platform, The Student Corner gives students a space to showcase their knowledge of the history of the Ottawa area through blogging. More information can be found on the Student Corner page of our website.

If you are interested in writing for us, please get in touch with Kirsten by emailing: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Pamphlet Series

Is your story or research between  10 to 60 pages, with or without photographs, that you would like to see published? HSO has been publishing a pamphlet series for over 40 years and we have well over 100 titles. You can read digital versions of them in the Bytown Pamphlets section of our website.

HSO can offer some assistance with editing and we do all the formatting. Pamphlets are assigned an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) from Library and Archives and HSO deposits copies there, at the Ottawa Public Library, and at the City of Ottawa Archives, which adds a veritable permanence to your work.

We print over 150 copies of the pamphlets and distribute them to our members along with electronic access to the public. Contact Erik at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Other Options

For Ottawa Stories, featured interactive publications, multimedia, or anything else you would like to pitch, please send Erik an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you have questions, you can always reach us at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We look forward to hearing from you!