The Whitehall Branch Library is located in Whitehall on the south side of East Broad St. It was the second of the 10 library locations that have been renovated or rebuilt as part of CML’s Vision 2020 aspirational building plan. It was opened in April of 2015 and, at 20,000 square feet, is more than doubled the size of the 50 year old building it replaced. These new and remodeled libraries and CML’s commitment to serve the unique needs of the city's specific neighborhoods are a large part of why I decided in retirement to visit all of the area libraries.
As I drove up to the Whitehall library, I noted a historical marker just west of the library. So after parking, I walked around the library to the marker and found that it commemorates the site of Norton Fielld, the first airport in central Ohio. Norton Field was dedicated in 1923 with Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker in attendance as Columbus received its first airmail delivery. The airport was closed in the 1950s, and the land sold was off for housing development. The library was build on the last remaining large piece of open land that was part of the airport.
I continued walking around the library and then along E. Broad St. to enter from the street side. The many large windows highlight the striking design, which received an American Institute of Architects and American Library Association Building Award in 2017.
The library has two main entrances on opposite sides of the building. From the street-side (below left) I could see directly through the center of the building to the rear entrance (below right) off the parking lot.
The library has a very open floor plan with lots of natural light from all the many windows. Entering from E. Broad St., there is a large children’s area to the right (west) while to the left (east) is a large area with a great many computers and the book shelves for adult fiction and nonfiction. The library was quite busy on this summer morning, which made taking photos quite hard while still respecting people’s privacy. (In some photos I have blurred people's faces.
At the parking lot exit there's a long hallway off to the right that led to rest rooms as well as two of the larger meeting rooms. The library has 5 different meeting rooms with retractable walls and ceiling mounted digital projectors.
I walked back toward the children’s area to I check out some of the new books displayed on one of the very striking circular bookshelf units.
As I walked eastward along the inside (south) wall of the children’s area, I noted a large Homework Help area and then a green wall which identified the entire children’s area as the Carol Snowden Children’s Room. Carol Snowden was the Whitehall Branch children’s librarian for 30 years until she passed away in 2008, leaving a bequest of $750,000 which provided for this room as well as a dedicated teen space. A Ready for Kindergarten area is in the corner of the room.
A second curved shelving with fun built-in seating helps to anchor the children’s area. A large group of children and adults were just finishing up an activity in the storytelling area.
There are computers for younger children in this area, including a table where the entire table top is a touch screen computer. The pair of computers by the windows with the great view of the E. Broad St. neighborhood were the only ones not in use that I could photograph.
Back toward the E. Broad St. entrance are racks for for periodicals around a comfortable seating area.
On the east side of the library there's a dedicated recording studio that can be used to create music, a podcast, or any audio production. It is immediately adjacent to the dedicated teen space that is set off by an amber glass wall.
Below is another picture of the very busy public computer area in the library—this one the view looking back toward the library entrances. The amber glass wall of the teen space is to the right in the distance.
Turning around and looking between the book shelves toward the east, I could see the glass-walled Quiet Room, which has comfortable seats and a gas fireplace.
Along the inside (south) wall of the large main room is a walkway lined with study and meeting rooms as well as a learning lab with computers.
I did some exploring in the stacks, looking for books to borrow. Then I proceeded to the the very inviting area along the front windows that was lined with study tables and comfortable chairs. The abundance of natural lighting and the great sight lines throughout give this library a wonderful place to visit.
I did find two books to check out, but not in the general stacks. I found them on the curved shelves of New Books and “Quick Picks” near the main circulation desk. (Can you spot them on the shelf?) I’d been on the lookout for John Sandford’s latest Lucas Davenport novel, Neon Prey, and the title of The Library Book caught my eye. I discovered it's about a huge fire in the Los Angeles Public Library in April of 1986 that destroyed or damaged more than a million books.
After checking out the two books, I settled into a chair by the windows to read the book I’d brought with me and enjoy the view, but I ended up distracted by The Library Book and beginning it instead.
After an hour or so it was time to head off for lunch. As usual, I set out to find a place nearby in the neighborhood. It turns out that the nearest non-chain restaurant is a Greek place called The Mad Greek, where I got an enormous gyro with a side of fries. It was quite tasty and a great topper to a fun morning at the library.
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