WCPL Wooster Main
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.