Sophisticated Service

Columbus Metropolitan Library celebrates 150 years serving central Ohio

By Tyler Kirkendall

Photos courtesy of Columbus Metropolitan Library

IF YOU THINK your local branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library is merely a place to pick up a book and sit quietly, then let this be the year you catch up with the magnificent resources a free library card unlocks.

In 1873, the library, or “reading room” as it was called then, opened on the first floor of Columbus City Hall. At maximum capacity, 1,500 books lined the walls, necessitating a move to 96 S. Grant Ave. – which remains the home of the library’s main branch.

The Carnegie Public Library was dedicated in 1907 after steel industrialist Andrew Carnegie donated $150,000 with the stipulation that the city would put forth $20,000 a year for maintenance and upkeep. The striking façade of the original structure is still fully intact.

Within the Carnegie-funded portion of the Main Library, there are now rotating exhibits of visual art by esteemed artists from around the world. The beautiful marble and tiling are more than 100 years old.

Changes and New Offerings

The library now has 23 locations throughout central Ohio, with each offering interlibrary loans so readers can get their preferred media from a local branch or from hundreds of partnered locations across the country. E-books are among the online resources that can get users in touch with the past, present and future of human knowledge.

The library’s mission is to ensure everybody in the region has access to the resources they need to be an educated citizen, says Dorcas Taylor Jones, library communications manager.

“(For library branches) it’s not a onesize-fits-all,” says Jones. “Being a 21st-century library is a phrase that our CEO has coined. We understand that our community’s needs change, and there are branches located in different areas of the city. … As we continue to examine where people are living, whether through census information or otherwise, and that’s also where we depend on our branch managers and leaders to say, ‘We’re starting to see these customers come in. We’re starting to hear this language being spoken.’”

The library’s flexibility is one of its biggest strengths. No two locations are the same, Jones says, as each is committed to accessibility, regardless of ethnicity, income, age or literacy level.

“People in libraries feel so strongly about being open and accessible,” she says. “It is the core DNA to who we are.”

As library leaders understand that technology is a vital tool for helping the community, the system offers free computer access and wi-fi at all locations, as well as meeting spaces and quiet rooms to help everybody stay connected. It even offers hot spots that cardholders can check out and take with them to ensure they don’t miss an important message just because they don’t have Internet access at home. More than 1,600 mobile hot spots were checked out at the library last year, Jones says.

Jones is grateful to be part of an organization that is truly making a real, tangible difference in people’s lives, she says.

“There are students that come in our libraries who, maybe they weren’t doing that well in school, but after having come to the school help center, they come and proudly show their report card to the staff,” she says. “We had a gentleman … who had been coming to the library to use the computer because he was taking online classes, and came back to the library to show his diploma.”

Gone are the days of being shushed at the library. Library branches are often calming, yet vibrant and lively, places. The Main Library has many large sources of natural light, which create a welcoming atmosphere for learning and discourse.

Private meeting rooms and quiet spaces are available at every location, and are of- ten booked in advance due to their popularity, Jones says.

The Main Library is laid out in a manner that is conducive to learning for all its visitors. Story time for children of all ages takes place in a room far removed from the quiet spaces for those who need time alone with their thoughts or work, and the courtyard offers a tranquil setting for reading.

Celebrating History

The library has all kinds of events ready to take advantage of these spaces to celebrate 150 years of service.

The Columbus Book Festival takes place July 15-16 at the Main Library and adjoining Topiary Park. The event will feature author talks and a variety of other activities, with further updates being posted at www.columbusbookfestival.org.

Before that, though, the celebration begins on March 5, the date of the 150th anniversary of the Main Library. One of the day’s highlights will be the opening of a new location for the Gahanna branch.

The Sesquicentennial Author Series continues March 5 as well, featuring Bridgerton author Julia Quinn as well as live music, vendors and activities at the Main Library as well.

The library is also continuing its Culture Pass program, through which cardholders can get free access to Columbus Clippers games, BalletMet performances, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and more.

The best way to start experiencing the library, though, is to just walk in and talk to a staff member, Jones says.

“You might not be able to get us to stop talking,” she says. “Ask what kind of things does this library have to offer, what kind of things are you doing today, what kinds of programs do you have, is there a way I can volunteer. We love to have volunteers for Reading Buddies, even just for 15 minutes.” CS