Wayne County Public Library
Current Contact Information | |
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Address | 304 N. Market St. (see wcpl.info for all locations) |
City, State, Zip | Wooster, OH 44691 |
Phone | 330.262-0916 |
Contact Person | Jennifer Shatzer |
Contact Title | Director |
jshatzer@wcpl.info | |
Last updated | 2016:04-27 OPEN |
Type | Libraries (Public) |
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Industry | Information |
Fate | Active |
Predecessor(s) | Wayne County District Public Library |
Founded | Wooster, Ohio (January 1960 ) |
Headquarters | Wooster, Ohio, United States |
Number of locations | 9 - 304 N Market St, Wooster, Ohio |
Area served | Wayne County Public Library region of Wayne County, Ohio |
Key people | Jennifer Shatzer |
Website | www.wcpl.info |
Comprehensive History
The Wayne County Public Library was officially established in 1897. Its former name was the Wooster Public Library and Museum. On January 1, 1960, the Wayne County District Public Library was created.
By this time, the library had been serving the county for many years. Library building conditions at all the branches and Main continued to deteriorate. At Main, there was insufficient space to provide the services and materials that were needed by the community.
In 1962, a tax levy was placed on the ballot to raise money for construction of a new main library. The levy failed and the library was forced to explore other possibilities. The County Budget Commission gave the library three annual payments of $63,500 and in 1965, $200,000 in federal aid was granted for the building fund.
Creston moved into new quarters in January 1961 and Rittman followed soon after.
On September 20, 1965 the architectural firm Tuchman and Canute presented the drawings of the new building. Since the new building was to be built on the site of the existing library, temporary quarters had to be found for the collection. the library moved in November 1965 to the Crater Motor building on East North Street where it remained until the new building was completed in March 1967. The formal dedication ceremony was held on October 8, 1967.
Miss Schantz retired in March 1969 and was replaced by Miss Margaret Hauenstein who had begun her library career at Wooster High School and then had moved on to Cleveland Public Library and Cuyahoga County Public Library before returning to her native Wooster.
Family service was started by the bookmobile in September 1972. The bookmobile made stops at thirteen Wayne County communities without branches. These stops were held in the afternoons and evenings to give adults better access to reading materials. The third week of the schedule was designated for town stops while the first two weeks were used to make stops at fourteen county elementary schools. Bookmobile service to the junior and senior high schools had been discontinued because most of the schools during consolidation had developed their own libraries.
After two years of planning, the Shreve library finally moved into its new building in November 1972. A formal dedication was held on January 28, 1973. The need for a new library in doylestown was first presented in 1972 and in September 1973 plans were approved for a new building. However, it was not until November 20, 1977 that the building was finally dedicated. Various community groups had worked together to raise the needed funds for construction of the building and the Wayne County Public Library paid for the interior furnishings as well as the book collection.
Miss Hauenstein retired in January 1980. Joseph Marconi, who had served as director fo the Bayliss Public LIbrary and Hiawathaland Library Cooperative in Michigan, was named director.
Art prints, video cassettes, and toys were added to the ever increasing materials collection. With the growth of the collection and the expansion of services offered, the building had become crowded and renovation was needed. With the help of federal funds, the renovation project became a reality and remodeling began in May 1984. A rededication was held April 15, 1985.
In February 1985, the Wayne County Public Library became a member of CLEVNET - a regional automation system owned and operated by Cleveland Public Library. From September 1985 through November 1986 the library staff entered information about the collection at the Main Library into a central database located in Cleveland. In June 1986, computerized library cards were first issued and finally on September 8, 1986 the main circulation desk went online and began to check books in and out with the automated system. The film department followed on October 6, and on December 18, the online Public Access Catalogs (PACs) were installed.
The library had been receiving its funding since the 1930's from the intangibles tax, a county tax levied on stocks and bonds owned by the county residents. The intagibles tax was abolished in 1986 and libraries across the state began receiving an amount equal to 6.3% of the state's income tax revenue.
A new branch in Dalton was approved in June 1988 with construction of the building beginning in October. The building opened in May 1989 and the dedication was held August 27, 1989.
Approval for the new Creston branch building was given in 1990 and groundbreaking ceremonies were held on October 24, 1990. Many obstacles, including ground pollution and lack of funding, had to be overcome before the building was finally dedicated on October 13, 1991.
On Christmas Eve, 1991 at 10:45 a.m., the Wayne County Public Library circulated its 1 millionth item for the first time in one year.
With the percentage received from the state income tax cut back and the demand for materials and services increasing, the library board decided in November 1993 to place a five year one mill operating levy on the ballot. The levy passed 12,683 to 10,385.
Joseph Marconi retired in January 1995. Theodore Allison,Director of the Bellevue Public Library was chosen as his replacement. Following the precedent set in 1901, the board asked for Allison's resignation in November 1995. Despite protests from the staff and the public, the board refused to reinstate Mr. Allison. Alice Finley, Assistant Director, was appointed Acting Director until a replacement could be found. In August 1996, Pamela Hickson-Stevenson, director of the Wadsworth Public Library, was named director.
In November 1996 the first OPLIN (Ohio Public Library Information Network) computer was installed giving the public graphical interface to the Internet.
On February 14, 1997, the 300 year old northern red oak that had shaded both library buildings (Wooster) and countless readers throughout the years had to be cut down.
On June 29, 2001, Pamela Hickson-Stevenson resigned from the Wayne County Public Library to accept a position with the Portage County District Library. Greg Lubelski, Executive Director of the Erie County (PA) Public Library began as the new library director May 2002. He remained until his retirement in 2010. Jimmy Epling was director for a short time in 2010. With Epling's resignation, Jennifer Shatzer became Interim director in October 2010 and was named the new director a few months later by the Board.
Main Branch (Wooster, Ohio)
Wooster Libraries: The Beginning
The early history about the first library in Wooster isn't well recorded. The exact date of the founding of the first Wooster library is unknown. Prior to 1857, some type of library association was in existence although the records do not provide information on its location or members. A group of Wooster residents first discussed the formation of a Wooster library at a school house meeting in 1857.
Wooster citizens met at the school house of Subdistrict One on March 7, 1857 and formally organized the Wooster Library Association. They chose a board of directors; four individuals who were already serving as directors of the old organization. The association housed its collection of history and reference books in the law offices of M. Bonewitz on Liberty Street.
In the late 1890s, records also show a library on the second floor of a clothing store—Saibenes "Clothes for Kiddies"—on East Liberty and Buckeye.
Planning for the Wooster Free Library began in 1897. In 1900, the Board of Education levied a tax and raised $500 to start a reading room.
Carnegie Library
When Andrew Carnegie gave the College of Wooster money to rebuild buildings destroyed in a fire, the Library committee asked for financial help to build a new library. After some negotiation, Carnegie agreed to contribute $15,000.
A site was purchased at the corner of Market and Larwill Streets, and construction began. The building was designed by architect Vernon Redding and built by John King. The building was completed in 1905 for a total cost of $22,300. It was never officially named a Carnegie library despite Carnegie's funding.
To access funds from the intangible taxes, the Library was put under the authority of the City School Board.
By 1911, the Library collection had grown to over 6,300 books and a card catalog was in place. A museum on the second floor of the Library officially opened in 1918. It housed many relics and archeological specimens from Wayne County. It remained opened until 1958 when it was moved to the Wayne County Historical Society.
During World War I, the Library collaborated with the College of Wooster Library to send books to the soldiers in camps in North Carolina, Virginia, and New Jersey.
Not so fun fact: In 1918 the Spanish Influenza spread across Europe and came to the United States with returning WWI soldiers. Due to illness, that October the Library was only open 7 days, 19 days in November, and was closed all of December and January.
Larwill St. Library
By the 1960s, Wooster's population had increased from 5,000 to 7,000 and the Library no longer had the room to operate. The weight of books had the floors buckling and the bookmobile was loaded from a basement window.
The new Library was to be built on the site of the old Carnegie Library. The Carnegie Library was torn down in 1966 to begin construction of the new Library on the same lot. The Library collection was temporarily relocated to the Crater Motor Building and remained there until March of 1967. Freeman Construction was selected as general contractor and the building was designed by the Akron architectural firm, Tuchman and Canute. This Library operated until 2007.
The Larwill building was partially renovated in the first half of 2008 to serve as the new Operations Center, previously located in the basement of the Wayne Metro Housing building on Market St. The new renovation also features a larger garage and working areas for the Bookmobile Department, eliminating the need for rented garage and storage space. This new center also houses the Finance, IT, Human Resources, Publicity, Maintenance and the Technical Services (TS) Department. The TS Department handles the purchasing, cataloging, and inventory of all materials in the WCPL system.
Liberty St. Library
Commemorated June 23, 2007, the new Liberty Street Library was build as an upgrade to the aging Larwill location. A groundbreaking ceremony for the $10 million construction took place on June 17, 2006. The larger location features far more room for continued growth, as well as improved facilities for public use. More parking, study rooms, reading areas, more public computer terminals, meeting rooms, as well as a large children's area were added.
Fun Fact: On Christmas Eve 1991 at 10:45am, the WCPL circulated its 1 millionth item for the first time in one year. The Dalton Branch checked out the milestone item. To celebrate, the patron checking out the 1-millionth item received a $100 savings bond.
Outlying Branches
Shreve Library
Rittman Library
Creston Library
Creston's first library opened June 13, 1939 in the Pearl Shelegel Building. The Library later moved in March of 1956 to the Matteson Building.
Kenneth Glasgow, then mayor of Creston, expressed interest in a new municipal building in 1959. This building would also house a library. This project was approved. The Library was moved again to the New Municipal Building on September 8, 1961. On September 17th, the Creston Branch of the Wayne County Public Library was dedicated.
A new 4,032 sq. ft. branch building was approved by the Board in June of 1989. It was constructed at a cost of just under $370,000. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on October 24 of the following year.
Many obstacles, including delays cleaning up ground pollution on the construction sight from a gas station previously on the property, and general lack of funding were overcome before the building was finally completed. Creston's Branch Library was dedicated on October 13, 1991.
The Creston Historical Society assembles documents and memorabilia, and writes and funds the printing of books about Creston. This material is stored in the Library's Donald Sonnedecker Historical Room.
Fun Fact: The first fundraising project for the Library was an Ox Roast in September of 1959. It netted $1,600.
Dalton Library
In 1980, the Library Board began to see potential in the Village of Dalton beyond just a bookmobile stop. Swayed by community support and a petition signed by 750 newspaper readers, the Board agreed that the Village was the ideal location for a library expansion.
A new branch in Dalton was approved in June of 1988. Construction on the new $227,000 facility began that October. The new 2,528 sq. ft. building, only half-filled by its 16,000 book capacity when it opened, left many empty-looking shelves. By the Branch's 10th anniversary, it had exceeded capacity, recording over 21,000 items.
Fun Fact: Dalton Elementary students helped raise money for the construction by buying bricks for $1 each. The fundraiser netted $200.
Doylestown Library
Doylestown's first library began in 1936. It consisted of bushel baskets of books brought from Wooster by volunteers. Located in the basement of a grade school building, Doylestown officially became a branch in 1941.
In 1969, a two-year lease was signed on the rental of a store room of the Killian Building, on the south side of Main Street. A total of 8,000 volumes were moved in tomato crates to the new location.
The need for a new library in Doylestown was first presented in 1972. In September 1973, plans were approved for a new building. As more space was required, residents, local organizations and businesses worked together to raise money and build a new structure with donated materials and labor. The Wayne County Public Library paid for the interior furnishings as well as the book collection. This new building was dedicated in 1978 and became the Paullin Library Branch.
In 2001, a termite infestation was discovered that necessitated the moving of the Library's contents into "temporary" quarters in the basement meeting room of the Village Hall. Land was sought and the property where the Killian Building had once stood was purchased for a new building.
The new Doylestown building was completed in 2009.
West Salem Library
The Northwest School District constructed a new elementary school, leaving the old building vacant. The Village of West Salem purchased the building. Mayor Elmer Toth wanted to make it a community center. WCPL wanted a "physical presence" in West Salem.
Work began late in fall, with much of the work done by staff and volunteers. A wall was taken down and new carpet installed. Shelving, computers, and furniture were acquired thanks to donations from other libraries, local businesses, and banks.
After a year of budget cuts, planning for a West Salem library began in 2004. The Mayor proposed that the Library use space in the circular addition that had been built in 1969. No rent was charged, but the Library agreed to pay $200 a month to help with utilities costs.
The Reading Room began as a completely volunteer-run library. In late 2006, the Library was given a 2-year evaluation. In 2007, a paid staff member was hired to manage the branch, allowing it to be considered a true library branch.
The West Salem Branch interior was renovated in the fall of 2010.
Bookmobile
The original Book Wagon, which began the first bookmobile service in Wayne County in 1940, was replaced with a “Mystery Bookmobile”, noted in a film clip taken in Smithville dated 1954. There is no documentation regarding the year or make of the 2nd bookmobile in the history of bookmobile service. This mystery vehicle was replaced with a 24 foot 1958 Gerstenslager, so a guess that it was purchased 10-12 years prior would be reasonable. Following twelve years of service, a second Gerstenslager was purchased in 1970. When it was declared unsafe 16 years later, a Bookmobile was leased for a year while a replacement was being built.
A 1987 Barth was built smaller and designed for community stops. Shortly after the Library Board voted to discontinue school stops, an uproar from the public caused the Board to reverse their decision and the Barth began a three week rotation, carrying juvenile books for two weeks visiting school stops, then switching out to include adult books for a week spent on community stops.
Eleven years later, a 30’ Moroney Bookmobile was purchased in addition to the Barth, in order to serve county schools. The Barth remained on the community runs, and thus began the era of two bookmobiles.
A 2003 Bluebird Bookmobile put the Barth into retirement. At 33’ long, it was the largest bookmobile yet, and was designed to serve county schools while the Moroney continued Amish school and Community runs.
July 2009 brought an end to the era of two full-time bookmobiles, with deep budget cuts across the state for all libraries. An immediate result was the cancellation of all county school runs, and the Bluebird was stocked with inventory to visit Amish schools, communities and a handful of small towns that were not located near a county library branch. The Moroney was kept as a back-up and gradually began picking up a few extra runs as the stops became too full to maintain with one bookmobile.
When the Moroney began showing signs of major mechanical problems, a decision was made to replace it with a 2012 Hybrid Freightliner 30’ Step-van, in order to maintain the extra runs the Moroney had allowed us to visit. Green features of our newest bookmobile allow us to run a significant amount of time without relying on the generator, and store energy in a battery bank that runs lights and computers. A diesel-fired heater maintains heat until the temp drops too low. Bookmobile now runs one full-time and one half-time schedule, with time allowance for service and maintenance. Circulation and usage continues to increase each year.
WCPL Historical Records
There are many scrapbooks on the Wayne County Public Library. These scrapbooks are kept in genealogy staff workroom in the glass cabinets. Other papers regarding the library are located in the same place and are not organized. Other items regarding library history include the following:
- Financial Records 1904-1926
- Acquisition Records
- Accession Books 1938-1943
- WCPL Library Fund and Appropriation Ledger and Cash Journal January 1963-June 1964
- Librarian’s Yearly Reports 1910-1948
- Borrowers Register 1923-19770
- Circulation Statistics 1957-1961
- Newspaper articles 1897-1943
- Publicity 1939-1950
- Several notebooks on the Friends of the Library
Locations
Main Library
- 220 W. Liberty St., Wooster, Ohio 44691
Operations Center and Bookmobile
- 304 N. Market St., Wooster, Ohio 44691
Creston
- 116 S. Main St., Creston, Ohio 44217
Dalton
- 127 S. Church St., Dalton, Ohio 44618
Doylestown
Rittman
- 49 W. Ohio Ave., Rittman, Ohio 44270
Shreve
- 189 W. McConkey St., Shreve, Ohio 44676
West Salem
Departments
Administration
Directors
- Joseph Marconi (1980-1995)
- Ted Allison (1995-1995)
- Pamela Hickson-Stevenson (1996-2001)
- Greg Lubelski (2002-2010)
- Jimmy Epling (2010-2010)
- Jennifer Shatzer (2010-present)
Genealogy and Local History
Historical documents
- History of the Wooster Library and Museum
Timeline
Gallery
Business Letterheads
Business Photos
Newspaper articles
Newspaper full-text articles
Newspaper ads
1917
ad, [1].
1918
ad, [2].
1919
ad, [3].
Newspaper citations with no attached images
References
What Links Here
- Lateral files (← links)
- File:Saibens.jpg (← links)
- File:CarnegieBuilding.JPG (← links)
- File:Larwill Rendering.JPG (← links)
- File:H larwill.jpg (← links)
- File:H liberty.jpg (← links)
- File:DOY2.jpg (← links)
- File:H dalton.jpg (← links)
- File:H rittman.jpg (← links)
- File:H shreve.jpg (← links)
- Necrology (← links)
- Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center:About (← links)
- Education (← links)
- Billman House (← links)
- Business files (← links)
- Portal:Genealogy/Department resources (← links)
- Wayne County Common Good Linkage Team (← links)
- W. Liberty St., Wooster, Ohio (← links)
- N. Market St., Wooster, Ohio (← links)
- Wayne County Public Library Bookmobile (redirect to section "Bookmobile") (← links)
- File:Wooster Brush Company.jpg (← links)
- Business Letterheads (← links)
- Bookmobile (redirect to section "Bookmobile") (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Bookmobile truck 2.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Mag Shelving.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Inside Shelving.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Shelving Windows.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Bookmobile truck.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Shelving.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Western Illinois Lib Sys 000.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Chapel Hills Pub Lib.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Minneapolis.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Little Bookie.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Plans.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Auburn Pub Lib.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Side Shelves Open SideView.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Library.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Side Shelves Open.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Was-County Lib Sys.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm unknown Pub Lib.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Was-County Lib Sys 2.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Western Plains Lib Sys.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Chasis 2.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Van Lib.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Western Illinois Lib Sys Back.PNG (← links)
- File:Gerstenslager Bkm Chasis.PNG (← links)
- McClarran Family Album (← links)
- Marchand Family Album (← links)
- 114 S. Grant St., Wooster, Ohio (← links)
- 116 S. Grant St., Wooster, Ohio (← links)
- 124 S. Grant St., Wooster, Ohio (← links)
- 136 S. Grant St., Wooster, Ohio (← links)
- 239 W. South St., Wooster, Ohio (← links)
- 251 W. South St., Wooster, Ohio (← links)
- File:WCPL WR19170104p6.png (← links)
- File:WcPL WR19180703p3.png (← links)
- Notable Women of Wayne County (← links)
- Unidentified Photos (← links)
- Albright Brothers (← links)
- Quadrennial Enumeration Wooster, Ward 5, 1887 (← links)
- Land Deed Index 1812–1864/Volume 1 (← links)
- Land Deed Index 1812–1864/Volume 2 (← links)
- Land Deed Index 1812–1864/Volume 3 (← links)
- Land Deed Index 1812–1864/Volume 4 (← links)
- Land Deed Index 1812–1864/Volume 6 (← links)
- Land Deed Index 1812–1864/Volume 7 (← links)
- Land Deed Index 1812–1864/Volume 8 (← links)
- FamilySearch Center (← links)
- Land Deed Index 1812–1864/Volume 9 (← links)
- Land Deed Index 1812–1864/Volume 10 (← links)
- Blacks in Wayne County, Ohio (← links)
- Wayne County Genealogical Society Programs (← links)
- File:Carnegie Library 0001.jpg (← links)
- Individuals with Shatzer Surname
- Individuals with Bonewitz Surname
- Individuals with Saibenes Surname
- Individuals with Carnegie Surname
- Individuals with Larwill Surname
- Individuals with Redding Surname
- Individuals with King Surname
- Individuals with Tuchman Surname
- Individuals with Canute Surname
- Individuals with Glasgow Surname
- Individuals with Sonnedecker Surname
- Individuals with Toth Surname
- Individuals with Marconi Surname
- Individuals with Allison Surname
- Individuals with Hickson-Stevenson Surname
- Individuals with Lubelski Surname
- Individuals with Epling Surname
- 116 S. Main St., Creston, Ohio
- 127 S. Church St., Dalton, Ohio
- 169 N. Portage St., Doylestown, Ohio
- 189 W. McConkey St., Shreve, Ohio
- 220 W. Liberty St., Wooster, Ohio
- 304 N. Market St., Wooster, Ohio
- 49 W. Ohio Ave., Rittman, Ohio
- 99 E. Buckeye St., West Salem, Ohio
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