London Public Library

On my way home from a Presbyterian leadership retreat a couple of weeks ago, I passed through London, OH, and made a point of driving by the public library building, which definitely looks like an original Carnegie library. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me, so I couldn’t make and document a visit at that time. Since then I’ve been looking forward to getting back to London to explore their library. This morning I thought today just might be the day, and when the Google map indicated there was a diner nearby, that sealed the deal.

After a 35-mile drive to London, I had a late breakfast at the M & M Diner—a new place just established in 2018 according to a sign on the wall. I was pretty full after the pancakes, eggs, potatoes, and ham, but the blackboard lured me with its message, “Try Our Homemade Pies!!!” (Yes, three exclamation points.) When I wondered what they had, the waitress read off a list that ended with “…and hot fudge.” “What’s a hot fudge pie?” I asked.  “It’s sort of a gooey moist brownie baked in a pie shell,” she answered. “Most people take it warm with a scoop of ice cream.” Well, that sold me. And it was every bit as yummy as it looked.

From the diner, I spent 10-15 minutes driving around the downtown area of London, then I headed to the library at the corner of 1st & Union Streets. From the parking lot in in the rear, the building looks quite a bit different from the traditional Carnegie Library. That’s because the original building built in 1905 using a $10,000 Carnegie grant was doubled in size with an addition on the backside in 1989. (This library is one of 111 Carnegie-funded free public libraries in Ohio.)

The front portion of the building retains much of the character of the original 1905 building, and part of the original rear wall is incorporated in the interior design of the expanded building. This view is from just inside the front doors. Note the window opening in the original rear wall above the opening to the new part of the library.

To the left from the entrance is a periodicals room with tables and comfortable chairs. To the right is a room for DVDs, CDs, and other media. Note the original large windows, the very high ceilings… and also the original tin ceiling (see ceiling detail below).

To the left just before crossing into the new building, there is a small room with computers along two walls as well as a portrait of Andrew Carnegie.

The new part of the library is dominated by the large floor-to-ceiling bay window that brings lots of natural light to all the book shelves and a center seating area. A large crystal provides a focus neat the center of the window bay.

Below is the view from near the windows looking back toward the front entrance (with a really likely place to sit and read later).

Back toward the original part of the library and off to the right is a teen area and a hallway leading down to another recent addition to the library—a house next door was connected to the library in the 1990s, and it now contains the children’s library.

Before the hallway there’s a seating area just to the left with a window to the compute room. Posted on the walls along the hallway are signed drawings by children’s author/illustrators Aliki and Paul O. Zelinsky. (I remember reading Zelinsky’s wonderful Ralph’s Motorcycle along with my kids.)

The little house next door provides a warm and inviting space set apart for children.  With lots of color and books galore, it looks like a fun place for kids.

I really enjoyed exploring this wonderful Carnegie library, but it was finally time to browse in the book stacks looking for books on my Amazon wish list to borrow.

Having made my selections, I picked one of the cushioned chairs with a good view of the large bay window as a great place to do some reading.

A couple of hours later, it was time to check out my two book finds (below) and head back to Columbus. (I’d really only meant to get one, but I couldn’t make up my mind between the two.)

I’m more and more glad I decided to embark on this project in retirement—to visit every public library branch in the metropolitan Columbus library partnership. When the new Dublin library branch is opened in June, that will make a total of 54 libraries to visit (plus any library visits when I’m traveling out of town). Each of the libraries is a positive instance of the community responding to the needs of ALL of its citizens. They truly are PUBLIC spaces dedicated to knowledge and truth.