Ohio's state library moves into a digital era
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
The State Library of Ohio holds medieval manuscripts, letters from George Washington and thousands of government documents from Ohio's earliest days. But its next chapter is looking increasingly digital.
Why it matters: This isn't your typical neighborhood library. The 209-year-old state agency preserves pieces of Ohio history, helps the state government with research and supports other libraries behind the scenes.
- A recent move will change how Ohioans can access the vast collection.
Driving the news: The library temporarily closed in April and moved its roughly 2 million books, documents and records out of an aging Italian Village building slated for demolition.
- When it reopens, operations will span two locations: a Gahanna storage facility for the collection and a downtown office, at 35 E. Chestnut St., for staff and visitors.
- Instead of browsing open shelves, patrons will request specific materials and make an appointment to view them in a downtown reading room expected to open by the end of the year.
The big picture: The move comes as the way people use libraries is changing, director of library operations Ryan Burley tells Axios.
- Foot traffic had declined at the old 80,000-square-foot building, while requests through email and online chat rose.
- As part of the transition, more of the library's catalog will be digitized.
The intrigue: The transition is also highlighting a resource many Ohioans may not know is available to them.
Case in point: Though state government workers are the library's most frequent users, any Ohioan can apply for a state library card.
- It's a digital login, not a physical card — another sign of the times.
- Signing up grants access to the Ohio Digital Library, an e-book and audiobook collection shared by nearly 200 libraries statewide.
Plus: The library oversees Ohio Memory with the Ohio History Connection, featuring millions of digitized historical documents, newspapers and other materials.
- It also manages a statewide program with Cleveland's library that provides audiobooks, braille materials and talking-book players to Ohioans who can't read standard printed text because of blindness or other physical conditions.
What's next: The state library staff are still unpacking over 30,000 boxes in Gahanna and developing the new system for requesting materials, Burley says.
- Watch for reopening updates online in the coming months.
