Westerville Public Library

I had assumed that the Westerville Public Library was part of the Columbus partnership system. But unfortunately it’s not, as I discovered when I tried unsuccessfully to return four books that I’d borrowed on visits to other libraries in the past few weeks. So I need to add this library to the 53 in the partnership system, and so my project has grown to visiting 54 metro-area public libraries—actually 55, since the new library in Dublin will be dedicated in June.

When I planned my visit to to the Westerville Library, I picked the Pancake House of Westerville for breakfast. Their website says they’re “a family owned American diner serving breakfast and house-made lunch since 2009…” with an “interior that provides  the look and feel of an American diner while offering the choice to watch the art of cooking as it occurs in the open kitchen.” Well, I’m a sucker for trying any new diner, so that’s where I started. Their “Option 4” breakfast was outstanding.

The library is on State St. in Westerville, with a parking structure and large parking lot in back. When I walked in the rear entrance pictured below and found I couldn’t return the four books, I had to take them back to my car.

Then I walked along the driveway to head to the front of the library, where I took the lead photo above. On the way I passed by the Anti-Saloon League Museum, which is attached to the library. Their history is connected as well, since the library began in 1930 on the first floor of the residence of Purley Baker, temperance leader in the Anti-Saloon League. And years later in 1973, the final trustee of the Anti-Saloon League donated to the library their headquarters, land and extensive 200,000 volume temperance collection. The building now houses the library's administrative offices, community services department, the Local History Resource Center and the Anti-Saloon League Museum.

A long hallway connects the State St. and parking lot entrances, with the library on one side and the museum on the other. Along the hallway there’s a large meeting room, the Friends of the Library Gift Shop, and shelves of books for sale.

The entrance to the library itself opens into an impressive two-story atrium area with a beautiful birch paneled wall extending to the ceiling.

To the right just past the circulation desk is a hallway with self-serve reserve books on the right and shelves of new book arrivals on the left.

The hallway continues on to a very large area for media with retail-style shelving and flat screen TVs.

Along one wall of the hallway are framed art prints that can be checked out, and farther down the hallway are entrances to the Teen and Children’s areas of the library.

The large and inviting Teen Area includes an entry lounge with racks for graphic novels, a computer area, and shelves for books and periodicals. There’s also a Homework Help Center.

The entry to the Children’s space is a bright colored wall with fun different sized doorways.

The Children’s space includes several separate areas for computers, lots of book shelves, and a number of Early Literacy Stations.

There’s also a fun storytelling area with lots of  child-friendly shelves for children’s books and a fun tree house play structure.

Here are just some of the fun things I found in the Children’s area:  a stained glass bunny window, a doll house, another short door, and the tree house.

After exploring the Teen & Children’s side of the library I headed back toward the atrium by a wonderful mural.

Up the stairs I came to an information desk, a computer lab, and a large, high-ceilinged reading room. I picked out the blue chair in the middle of the picture below for my reading time.

Shelves for fiction and non-fiction book fill large areas on both sides of the room.

At the far end of the room there are tutor rooms and group study rooms.

In a couple of areas like the one pictured below, it was apparent that renovation work is being done on the library.

I was quite disappointed not to be able to check out any books on this library visit because Westerville is not part of the Columbus partnership system. In any event, I settled into my selected reading chair with the book I’d brought with me… and with a nice view of the reading room.

Eventually it came time for me to head for home. But the wonderful view as I looked out over the atrium and then headed down the stairs will stay with me. This is a very large and impressive impressive library for a town the size of Westerville.