Draft·October 14, 2026·AI Assisted

Library Card AI: A Budget Model for Ottawa

What would it cost Ottawa Public Library to run the pilot and the two years after it? This model builds the answer line by line. Every assumption below is editable, and the totals update as you change them.

The figures are planning estimates, not vendor quotes or City costing. They are meant to show the scale of the decision and which assumptions drive it.

Scenario

Pilot year: $642,007; net of grants and credits
Three years: $3,065,078; pilot plus two open years
Per cardholder, year 3: $3.25; net cost per year
Per active user, year 3: $3.01; all-in cost per month

Where the money goes

Year 1 (pilot)$642,007

Year 2$1,101,401

Year 3$1,321,670

Model usage
Gateway and technology
Staff and program
Setup and compliance
Contingency

Assumptions

Change any number. The pilot runs in three stages: three months of preparation with no users, six months of a capped cohort in a few branches, then three months open to every cardholder. Years 2 and 3 are fully open.

Reach

Cardholders Estimated: 40% of Ottawa's populationActive users per month, year 1 %Share of cardholders who use it in a given monthAdoption growth per year ptsLimited-launch cohort Cardholders admitted in months 4 to 9Cohort active each month %

Usage and pricing

Monthly allowance per user $Metered model spend each card can draw onShare of allowance used %Users who hit the cap %Fallback model cost per capped user $/mo

Gateway and technology

Gateway build $Adapting open-source gateway software and library sign-inHosting $/moDeveloper maintenance FTEDeveloper cost, loaded $/yrSecurity audit $

Staff and program

Program coordinator FTECoordinator cost, loaded $/yrBranches Branches in limited launch Staff trained Initial training per person hrsAnnual refresher per person hrsWorkshops per branch /moStaff hours per workshop hrsIncluding preparationStaff cost per hour, loaded $

Setup and compliance

Privacy impact assessment $Procurement and legal $Launch communications $Independent evaluation $Contingency %

Funding, per year

Provincial library grant $Federal AI literacy funding $Vendor credits $Accepted only under a multi-vendor rule

Count existing staff time for training and workshops as a cost. Branch staff already deliver programs; untick to show only new spending.

Line by line

Item	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	3 years
Model usage
Metered model usage active users × allowance × share used	$158,100	$683,760	$879,120	$1,720,980
Fallback model after the allowance runs out	$3,953	$17,094	$21,978	$43,025
Gateway and technology
Gateway build and library sign-in integration	$60,000	$0	$0	$60,000
Hosting from launch	$13,500	$18,000	$18,000	$49,500
Developer maintenance	$32,500	$32,500	$32,500	$97,500
Security audit full audit, then annual retest at half cost	$20,000	$10,000	$10,000	$40,000
Staff and program
Program coordinator	$105,000	$105,000	$105,000	$315,000
Staff training existing staff time	$54,000	$18,000	$18,000	$90,000
Workshops and drop-in help existing staff time	$31,590	$106,920	$106,920	$245,430
Setup and compliance
Privacy impact assessment	$30,000	$0	$0	$30,000
Procurement and legal	$25,000	$0	$0	$25,000
Communications launch, then half each year	$20,000	$10,000	$10,000	$40,000
Independent evaluation	$30,000	$0	$0	$30,000
Contingency
Contingency (10%)	$58,364	$100,127	$120,152	$278,643
Total cost	$642,007	$1,101,401	$1,321,670	$3,065,078
Less grants and credits	$0	$0	$0	$0
Net cost to the library	$642,007	$1,101,401	$1,321,670	$3,065,078
Model cost ceiling if every active user spent their full allowance	$395,250	$1,709,400	$2,197,800	$4,302,450
Monthly active users at full access	20,350	28,490	36,630

Reading the model

Model spending cannot run away. It is bounded by active users × allowance. The ceiling row shows the worst case; the library lowers the allowance before the budget grows.
Adoption is the swing factor. Active users and the allowance move the total more than any fixed cost. The pilot exists to measure them before Council commits to years 2 and 3.
Fixed costs are front-loaded. The gateway, privacy assessment, procurement and evaluation fall in year 1.
Cardholders are estimated at 40% of Ottawa's 1,017,449 residents (2021 Census). Replace with Ottawa Public Library's own count.
Salaries are loaded costs (salary plus benefits) and are estimates, not City pay bands.

Pilot year $642,0073-year net $3,065,078