Former State Librarian Jo Budler visited the following libraries in August 2008: Portsmouth Public Library and Garnet A. Wilson Public Library of Pike County

Portsmouth Public Library
August 27, 2008

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I always look forward to my library visits and a chance to be in the midst of Ohio’s library services. My trip to Portsmouth, however, was even more welcomed because it marked the 100th Ohio public library I have visited since becoming State Librarian in 2004.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Beverly Cain, director of 11 years, and two library cats – Quincy and Ashley. They don’t mingle with the public but stay in back with the staff.

The Main Library is an original 1906 Carnegie Building and is beautiful with its stained glass dome and ornate balcony. The building has had two expansions: the back was added in 1971 and the two wings in 1995. Even with the renovations, the library still has the integrity of the original Carnegie building.

The Portsmouth Public Library has 5 branches; 4 are standalone and one, the Northwest Branch, is in an old school building. The Northwest Branch is part of a community center that includes a special needs preschool, Head Start, Even Start, and adult basic literacy. They are open limited hours but definitely provide a valuable service to the community.

Portsmouth also has a brand new bookmobile. The new bookmobile has satellite access so the online catalog can be used. It was purchased entirely with donated funds, including over $400,000 left to the library as a bequest. The bookmobile visits 11 schools and makes 67 community stops. The bookmobile was “home” when I visited so I was able to climb aboard and was wowed by it!

Most of the branches are 4,000-5,000 sq ft. Internet access is extremely important because many folks do not have Internet at home and those that do have Internet at home, do not have high speed access.

The Main Library is surrounded by Portsmouth City Schools, which allows the teachers to bring their students in to the library easily without them having to get field trip slips from parents. The library also works closely with the Vern Riffe School for Disabled Children.

Off the children’s room there is a small resource area that includes adaptive toys that can be checked out by both parents and teachers, storytime kits for teachers (with all materials, books, etc. included for specific themes) and a parent and teacher book collection.

The original “Open to All” sign is on the wall of the local history room, which includes the original 1906 tables. Other highlights include one of the last two passenger pigeons (which is stuffed, the other is at the Cincinnati Zoo) and a peace pipe purportedly smoked by Daniel Boone.

Readers Advisory is very important so staff created a special reading nook with soft chairs, new books, and recommended books. The library also uses an old card catalog which focuses on Reader’s Advisory and includes “Top 20 Author Picks.”

Missy and I were pleased that on the day we visited, since the library is a KnowItNow provider, staff were learning the new open source KnowItNow software. The open source software was developed in partnership of the State Library of Ohio, Oregon State Library, and the Multnomah County Library in Oregon.

After our tour of the library, we went to the Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth meeting and I spoke about the public library’s role in learning for life. Afterwards, I had the pleasure of meeting Al Oliver, who played on the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series Championship team.

Garnet A. Wilson Public Library of Pike County
 

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Missy and I arrived in Waverly earlier than we expected and were pleased to have a few minutes to explore on our own. New books are always a draw for me (I am always tempted to apply for a library card and start checking out material!!). But here we also found ourselves drawn to the jigsaw puzzle which is set up on a community table. We were even able to fit some pieces together before Director Tom Adkins arrived to take us on a tour.

I learned that the library opened in 1939 and that Pike County was the last county in Ohio to receive library service. The library was originally a room in the local high school before the current building was given to the library by the Wilson family in 1985. It is named for Mrs. Garnet A. Wilson.

The current building used to be a feed store, and like many libraries in Ohio, this one boasts a ghost story. The library’s ghost is a little lazy though: all it does is ride the elevator!

The library has built three branches since 1996, one in each portion of the county. The county population is 28,000 and there are 16,000 active library users.

The library received one of the Gates Labs several years ago. These grants were awarded to provide computer access to the general public. As we toured the building, we noted that these computers are well-used by the public. Tom pointed out that they could use many more. Like other places across our state, many of Waverly’s residents depend upon the public library for broadband access to the Internet.

The stairwell leading down to the children’s room and the walls in the children’s room have been painted by a local artist. As you can see from the pictures, this wonderful landscape is filled with all sorts of literary characters!

Thank you to Tom for a wonderful tour. It was a pleasure meeting with you and meeting your staff.