The State Library of Ohio is a state agency that provides services to state government and all types of libraries to ensure that all 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...

 residents, rich or poor, rural or urban, receive the best possible library service and are able to engage in lifelong learning which strengthens the economic health of Ohio.

The State Library is governed by a five member board. The Board members are appointed by the State Board of Education and each member serves a five year term of office. Under the Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Revised Code

The Ohio Revised Code contains all acts passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed by the governor. The Ohio Revised Code replaced the Ohio General Code in 1953. However the current organization and form of the Ohio Revised Code Title 29 was completely re-written and issued into law by the...

, section 3375.01, the State Library Board is responsible for the State Library of Ohio and a statewide program of development and coordination of library services.

History

The State Library of Ohio was established in 1817 to serve the information and research needs of state government. The library was established with the purchase of 509 books by Governor Worthington. The library was one of the first state agencies created. As Ohio grew, so did the responsibilities of the agency. In December 2000, the State Library moved from the Ohio Departments Building into the Jeffrey Mining Corporate Center, a converted factory that produced mining machinery.

Services

Today the State Library of Ohio collaborates with many state agencies and Ohio libraries to provide services.

Services to State Government

• Provides work-related research and reference services to state legislators and state employees
• Serves as Ohio's only full regional depository for federal documents and the depository for Ohio state agency documents
• Provides inter-library loan services
• Provides meeting space for state employees
• Provides online & face to face Internet and Library Resource training for state employees

Services to Ohio Libraries

• Oversees the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant program
• Administers the Serving Every Ohioan Library Center
  Serving Every Ohioan Library Center
  The Serving Every Ohioan Library Center, State Library of Ohio, located in Caldwell, Ohio, supports a consortium of 76 library systems at 175 locations in 38 counties . The SEO Library Center houses, maintains and supports a centralized shared catalog database that includes over 6 million items...
  
   & Consortium that is composed of 76 library systems with more than 175 locations. The SEO Library Center houses, maintains and supports a centralized shared catalog database that includes over 6 million items with a patron database of 700,000+ borrowers.http://www.library.ohio.gov/SEO The power of this consortium resides in resource sharing among consortia members allowing small and rural library systems to have access to millions of items for their patrons free of charge.
• Promotes statewide resource sharing through the Ohio Libraries Share: MORE program
• Collects statistics about Ohio libraries for analysis, long range planning and comparison
• Assists in developing programs for staff and customers
• Provides Mobile Training Lab for on-site Internet training.
• Collaborates with the Ohio Public Library Information Network and other training partners in providing online & face to face Internet and Library Resource training for library employees

Services to Ohio Residents

• Coordinates the Ohio Talking Book program for Ohio's blind and physically handicapped residents
• Answers general reference questions
• Provides electronic database access

Partners

• ALAO
• INFOhio
  INFOhio
  INFOhio, the Information Network for Ohio schools, is the state's virtual PreK-12 library that uses the existing school telecommunications infrastructure to address equity issues by providing electronic resources, library automation, and other services to Ohio schools...
  
  
• Kent State University
  Kent State University
  Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
  
   – School of Library and Information Science
• OELMA
• Ohio Library Council
• Ohioana Library
• OhioLINK
  OhioLINK
  The Ohio Library and Information Network, OhioLINK, is a consortium of Ohio’s college and university libraries and the State Library of Ohio. Serving more than 600,000 students, faculty, and staff at 88 institutions, OhioLINK’s membership includes 16 public universities, 23 community/technical...
  
  
• OHIONET
• OPLIN
  Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN)
  The Ohio Public Library Information Network is a compact organization that provides Ohio residents with Internet access to their 251 public libraries. OPLIN also provides Ohioans with free home access to high-quality, subscription research databases.OPLIN's purpose is to ensure that all Ohioans...