Clark County Public Library
Encyclopedia
Clark County Public Library is the public library
of Clark County
, Ohio
, United States
. It is based in Springfield
, Ohio
and has a collection of approximately 500,000 items.
. Various short-lived library associations followed and the library found a more permanent home on the second floor of Black’s Opera House. The library housed 3,300 volumes when it opened to the public at this location in 1872. As patronage and the collection expanded, the need for yet another move set in and the library relocated in 1877 to the second floor of the Union Hall Building, which was situated on what is today Fountain Avenue.
Local entrepreneur Benjamin Warder gave the library a new location on the corner of High Street in 1890, with a building constructed in memory of his parents and dedicated to the people of Springfield. This location now houses the Warder Literacy Center. Library service continued to expand and grow at this new location. The year 1936 saw the library's first bookmobile
service to the area, with a homemade trailer
that could carry 500 books. The 1950’s and 1960’s brought about the expansion of the library in the form of branches at Park Shopping Center, Southern Village Shopping Center, and in the villages of Enon
and South Charleston
.
The main library moved to its new facility on Fountain Avenue in 1989. The library has five locations throughout Clark County. It also has two bookmobiles that cover 41 community stops, 7 schools, 14 daycare centers and 5 Head Start Programs.
The library's collection includes over 425,000 books, 425 magazine subscriptions, 7,000 videotapes, 4,000 CDs, 3,000 DVDs and framed art. Over 1 million items were circulated in both 2001 and 2002, and over 29,900 people came through the library's doors each week.
The library offers many cultural and educational programs throughout the year at all of its branches. The Speaker Series brings national and regional authors, artists, and lecturers to Springfield. Past participants include Sean Astin
, Stan Lee
, Maya Angelou
, Dave Barry
, Mary Higgins Clark
, Doris Kearns Goodwin
, and Elie Wiesel
. The library's annual Summer Reading Program is popular with area children, and the annual Film Festival and the Adult Reading Discussion Group are equally popular programs. The library also offers Internet
and genealogy
"how to" classes throughout the year.
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
of Clark County
Clark County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 144,742 people, 56,648 households, and 39,370 families residing in the county. The population density was 362 people per square mile . There were 61,056 housing units at an average density of 153 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is based in Springfield
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and has a collection of approximately 500,000 items.
History
The Clark County Public Library traces its beginnings to the Springfield Lyceum in 1841 in Springfield, OhioSpringfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
. Various short-lived library associations followed and the library found a more permanent home on the second floor of Black’s Opera House. The library housed 3,300 volumes when it opened to the public at this location in 1872. As patronage and the collection expanded, the need for yet another move set in and the library relocated in 1877 to the second floor of the Union Hall Building, which was situated on what is today Fountain Avenue.
Local entrepreneur Benjamin Warder gave the library a new location on the corner of High Street in 1890, with a building constructed in memory of his parents and dedicated to the people of Springfield. This location now houses the Warder Literacy Center. Library service continued to expand and grow at this new location. The year 1936 saw the library's first bookmobile
Bookmobile
A bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...
service to the area, with a homemade trailer
Trailer (vehicle)
A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials....
that could carry 500 books. The 1950’s and 1960’s brought about the expansion of the library in the form of branches at Park Shopping Center, Southern Village Shopping Center, and in the villages of Enon
Enon, Ohio
Enon is a village in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,638 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.Enon is the headquarters of the Speedway SuperAmerica gas station chain....
and South Charleston
South Charleston, Ohio
South Charleston is a village in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,850 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:South Charleston is located at ....
.
The main library moved to its new facility on Fountain Avenue in 1989. The library has five locations throughout Clark County. It also has two bookmobiles that cover 41 community stops, 7 schools, 14 daycare centers and 5 Head Start Programs.
The library's collection includes over 425,000 books, 425 magazine subscriptions, 7,000 videotapes, 4,000 CDs, 3,000 DVDs and framed art. Over 1 million items were circulated in both 2001 and 2002, and over 29,900 people came through the library's doors each week.
The library offers many cultural and educational programs throughout the year at all of its branches. The Speaker Series brings national and regional authors, artists, and lecturers to Springfield. Past participants include Sean Astin
Sean Astin
Sean Astin is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer better known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, and Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24...
, Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
, Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
, Dave Barry
Dave Barry
David "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...
, Mary Higgins Clark
Mary Higgins Clark
Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins Clark Conheeney , known professionally as Mary Higgins Clark, is an American author of suspense novels...
, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer and historian, and an oft-seen political commentator. She is the author of biographies of several U.S...
, and Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
. The library's annual Summer Reading Program is popular with area children, and the annual Film Festival and the Adult Reading Discussion Group are equally popular programs. The library also offers Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
"how to" classes throughout the year.
Branches
- Main Library, Springfield, OhioSpringfield, OhioSpringfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
- Park Centre Branch, also in Springfield, Ohio
- Southern Village Branch, also in Springfield, Ohio
- Houston Branch, South Charleston, OhioSouth Charleston, OhioSouth Charleston is a village in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,850 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:South Charleston is located at ....
- Indian Mound Branch, Enon, OhioEnon, OhioEnon is a village in Clark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,638 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.Enon is the headquarters of the Speedway SuperAmerica gas station chain....
- Bookmobile