Former State Librarian Jo Budler visited the following libraries in April: Ohio Wesleyan University Beeghly Library, Community Library of Sunbury, Westlake Porter Public Library, and Galion Public Library
April 1, 2009
The Ohio Wesleyan University Beeghly Library
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It was a beautiful sunny day when Jan Haines and I headed out to visit two libraries in Delaware County. Our first stop was Ohio Wesleyan University where we were given a tour of the Beeghly Library and the Hobson Science Library. It was a great day for a brisk walk down the center of campus. Director Theresa S. Byrd is not only Director of Libraries but also the Chief Information Officer. As such she is the head of the merged IT/Library which includes libraries, audiovisual, administrative computing, academic computing, Help Desk, networking and training.
Beeghly Library is housed in a 108,000 sq. ft. building. It includes an Internet Café that is open 5 PM until midnight Sunday through Thursday. The library is open Monday – Thursday 8 AM – 2 AM and various hours the other days of the week. The library hosts an annual Juried Student Show in its Gallery 2001 and we were fortunate to visit while this show was on display.
The 200 acre Ohio Wesleyan campus is wireless. While 90% of the students have their own computers, laptops are still a very popular check out from the library.
The library houses the Archives of the Ohio United Methodism. It has housed the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church collection for over 100 years and now houses the East Ohio Conference collection. The two conferences merged in 2003. The collection assists the historians of United Methodist churches, scholars and others and includes books, manuscripts, and other materials such as sermons and diaries. The library also houses the Ohio Wesleyan University Historical Collection including yearbooks, books by faculty, alumni files and student library cards.
Special items worth noting:
· Volunteers have indexed Ohio Wesleyan records from 1958 – 2009 and are now working on faculty records.
· Rare Books, Manuscripts and Artifacts include materials that tell the story of the written word including a 14th century hymnal.
· The library is known for the Bayley-Whitman Collection that holds a variety of Walt Whitman items including correspondence, photographs and a first edition of Leaves of Grass.
· It also houses a Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning Collection.
In 2008, the library received an LSTA grant from the State Library to create a digital collection which will initially focus on the history of the City of Delaware, the formation of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Methodists. This is a collaborative project with the Delaware County Historical Society and also supports activities associated with the Delaware Bicentennial Celebration.
Ohio Wesleyan University is part of the Five Colleges of Ohio: the College of Wooster (Presbyterian roots), Denison (Baptist), Kenyon (Episcopal Church), Oberlin (Congregational) and Ohio Wesleyan (Methodist).
The second and third floor of Beeghly Library features a collection of stained-glass windows. Each graduating class from 1900 to 1931 sponsored a contest for the best window design and provided the funds for the windows. Some were made by Tiffany studios. Other graduating classes have also contributed stained-glass windows to the collection.
I love learning about unusual traditions and Ohio Wesleyan has one: There is a 4 feet tall bronze Japanese bell similar to ones in Buddhist monasteries that is rung at the end of each academic year by the last person in the library.
It was a pleasure to meet Deborah Peoples, science librarian and manager of the Hobson Science Library. This library has an information commons for group study, compact shelving that can hold 55,000 volumes and an extensive periodical collection. The footprint of the library is small, but the amount of material in the library is extensive because of the compact shelving.
We walked back to the Beeghly Library, stopping in various buildings so I felt we got a real feel for the campus community. One of my favorites was the “old” library which is now the Administration Building. On the second floor there is a beautiful stained glass art piece in the ceiling. The picture does not do it justice!
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After a quick bite in Bun’s Restaurant in Delaware, we were off to Sunbury. The Community Library in Sunbury is a bright open building and as soon as one walks through the front door, one is greeted by the friendly circulation staff.
Several years ago the Sunbury Library Board and Director Chauncey Montgomery utilized the State Library for strategic planning. Jan Haines assisted in this process. Sunbury Community Library has made changes within the building based on that strategic plan. The Burrer Family Memorial Room is now open to the public to research local history and genealogies. A new books area with comfortable seating and tables and chairs was made available by relocating the reference collection.
Some quick facts:
- The library serves the Big Walnut Local School District.
- This library is a totally wireless building
- WiFi printer is available to use 24 hours a day
- Weekly story times include Baby Time, Time for Twos, Wiggles & Giggles, Laugh & Learn. The library also offers Family Film nights.The library has a teen corner with books displayed by subjects.
- The library plans to start a Jr. Friends of the Library.
- The library has two wikis, an internal blog and a reference wiki. Reference questions are documented.
Sunbury Community Library participates in the collaborative Summer Reading Program. This year’s theme is "Be Creative @ Your Library." Sunbury Community librarians are planning week long art camps such as drawing camp to take place during summer reading.
Besides offering outreach to assisted living centers, nursing homes and shut-ins, the library offers outreach to children and families who live in the Westerville Estates Mobile Home Park which is in the Big Walnut Local School District.
The Ohio Fallen Heroes Memorial, honoring those who have died in combat since 9/11/2001 is next to the library.
April 16, 2009
Westlake Porter Public Library
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Stephen Hedges and I visited the Westlake Porter Public Library on April 16. Andrew Mangels gave us his official “$5 tour.” It was fabulous (worth every penny, Andrew!).
This 75,000 square foot library is beautiful and will soon be even more beautiful, thanks to a landscaping project which is getting underway. The project is fully funded with contributions from the community (including Westlake Porter’s very active and supportive Friends group).
This year the Westlake Porter Public Library is celebrating its 125th anniversary.
Special features:
· Full menu café and Friends’ gift shop
· Used bookstore (staffed by Friends) (Andrew said they could double its size and easily fill it)
· Sculpture and flower gardens (I look forward to coming back when it is in full bloom)
· Last year the library had 500,000 visitors – more than the number of visitors at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As we toured the library it was easy to see why the library staff is the most valuable asset to this library’s director. They are committed to excellent customer service in all departments – and departments recognize one another’s accomplishments.
And a special congratulation to the catalogers: their backlog shelves were EMPTY!
For more information you can find this library in the Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westlake_Porter_Public_Library
April 20, 2009
Galion Public Library
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Missy Lodge and I visited the Galion Public Library and after a tour of the library and dinner in a local restaurant, I had the honor of making a presentation to the library’s board and association members.
The Galion Public Library is extremely important to the community and they show that support in a variety of ways, including financial support. Currently the library has almost a million dollars in the building fund. They receive numerous gifts and bequests, including a recent bequest of $200,000.
The library has preserved the flavor of the original Carnegie building. The entry is graced by a beautiful stained-glass dome which has been restored. The original circulation desk still sits under the dome. The addition to the library was added in 1991 but it is easy to see where the original building ended. The entire facility, both old and new portions, is very light and bright.
The director is very proud of her children’s services department. One staff member specializes in working with pre-school children, one with children, and one with teens. Last year, 600 children participated in the summer reading program and an additional 89 participated in the teen summer reading.
Teens are an important service group at Galion Public Library. The teen advisory board boasts 20 members and teen programs are very popular. The library hosts teen gaming nights which take place on Fridays from 7-10 p.m. Teens are “locked in” the library and spend time with Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution and Mario games on the computers. A local rental agency donates a big screen TV for the event.
Another innovative program at the library is their Books on Wheels. This is an outreach program that delivers books to 3 retirement homes, homebound individuals and individuals in hospitals. Volunteers deliver the materials and all supplies have been purchased by the Friends.
Vicki Eckenrod has been director since January 2008. The library currently has 15 staff, 7 of which are FTE.