Cleveland Public Library history

He had open shelves because, "without a catalog, the only way potential borrowers could ascertain what books were available was to look at them." Oviatt resigned in June, 1875, the victim of governing boards or their subsidiaries, who micromanaged daily operations of the library.

Known until 1883 as the Public School Library, the new institution on the third floor of a building off West Superior Avenue was estimated to have 5,800 books on its opening day.

Librarian William Howard Brett opened the library's first stand-alone children's room on February 22, 1898.

Vaulted ceilings are adorned with paintings of mythological and historical figures, while grand staircases carved in Botticino marble and elaborately decorated passageways invite visitors to explore the library's various departments. It is one of six buildings conforming to the Group Plan, an ambitious 1903 city-planning scheme built around a massive three-segment public park (the Mall) northeast of Public Square.

In 1916, the Cleveland architectural firm of Walker and Weeks won a competition to design a new library building.

In 1921, the State Legislature of Ohio passed a law which enabled the establishment of a county district library for any area not served by a free public library, subject to a vote of the people.

In 1922, only eight communities had tax-supported library service and only a few other communities had libraries supported by private funds.

Construction of their classical Renaissance design, delayed by the First World War, began in 1923 under Linda Anne Eastman.

Designed by the prominent architectural firm of Walker & Weeks, the five-story facility was completed in 1925 for about $5 million.

The Roll of Honor contains the names of Greater Cleveland men and women who served during World War II. In 1942, Cleveland Press Editor Louis B. Seltzer and Mayor Frank Lausche invited family and friends to register the names of their loved ones into four large volume sets.

Cleveland Public Library’s Live Long and Like It Library Club, a free educational club for people age 60 and older, held its first meeting on November 12, 1946.

In 1968, the Library’s administrative offices and support services were relocated to a building purchased by the Board of Trustees at 4510 Memphis Avenue, in Cleveland.

In six months an agreement was signed and by the end of 1982, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library went live, launching the CLEVNET consortium.

In 1990, administrative offices were moved to a 9-acre campus at 2111 Snow Road, in Parma.