Cleveland Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Cleveland Public Library was founded in 1869 and is located in Cleveland, Ohio
. It operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland
, 28 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and a library for the blind and physically handicapped.
Librarian William Howard Brett opened the library's first stand-alone children's room on February 22, 1898. Effie Louise Power
was appointed Cleveland's first children's librarian.
In 1915, the Cleveland architectural firm of Walker and Weeks
won a competition to design a new library building. Construction of their classical Renaissance design, delayed by the First World War, began in 1923 under Linda Anne Eastman. Eastman (1867–1963) was the first woman to head a major U.S. city library system and a pioneer in the modern library system. She opened bookshelves to patrons, replacing the New York Public Library
system in which a librarian fetched the books.
The Main Library consists of two buildings. The older wing, completed on May 6, 1925 and renovated between 1997 to 1999, has five stories, each as high as two stories in most buildings. The renovations included the restoration of a large mural painted by Ora Coltman in 1934 for the Federal Arts Project. The work was done by the Intermuseum Conservation Association
. The second building, named after former U.S. Congressman Louis Stokes
, was dedicated in 1997. The two buildings are connected by underground corridor below the Eastman Reading Garden, which was designed by the Olin Partnership and includes sculptures by Maya Lin
and Tom Otterness
.
The Main Library's special collections include the Mears and Murdock baseball
collections, the Cleveland Theater collection, the John G. White
chess and checkers collection
, a 130,000-volume children's collection, a 74,000-volume rare book collection, and collection of 1.3 million photographs.
In 2002, the Main Building had annual attendance of 804,692, annual circulation of 1,698,928 items, and a collection totaling 9,745,655 items. The Cleveland Public Library is a member of CLEVNET, a consortium of 28 public libraries throughout northern Ohio. In 1947, it became a depository library for the United Nations Library network, holding documents for the state of Ohio. There are only 400 UN depository libraries worldwide.
In 2003, The Cleveland Public Library and the Cuyahoga County Public Library
created the Greater Access Library Card, allowing patrons of both to check out materials from either.
Its mission is "to be the best urban library system in the country by providing access to the worldwide information that people and organizations need in a timely, convenient, and equitable manner."
Basement Walkway to Louis Stokes Wing
Louis Stokes Wing (added 1997)
Cleveland Public Library has a public administration library located at Cleveland City Hall.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. It operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
, 28 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and a library for the blind and physically handicapped.
Librarian William Howard Brett opened the library's first stand-alone children's room on February 22, 1898. Effie Louise Power
Effie Louise Power
-Introduction:Effie Louise Power was born on February 12, 1873 in Conneautville, Pennsylvania to mother Francis Billing and father William Ellis Power. Power never married, nor did she have any children....
was appointed Cleveland's first children's librarian.
In 1915, the Cleveland architectural firm of Walker and Weeks
Walker and Weeks
Walker and Weeks was an architecture firm based in Cleveland, Ohio founded by Frank Ray Walker and Harry F. Weeks .-Background:...
won a competition to design a new library building. Construction of their classical Renaissance design, delayed by the First World War, began in 1923 under Linda Anne Eastman. Eastman (1867–1963) was the first woman to head a major U.S. city library system and a pioneer in the modern library system. She opened bookshelves to patrons, replacing the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
system in which a librarian fetched the books.
The Main Library consists of two buildings. The older wing, completed on May 6, 1925 and renovated between 1997 to 1999, has five stories, each as high as two stories in most buildings. The renovations included the restoration of a large mural painted by Ora Coltman in 1934 for the Federal Arts Project. The work was done by the Intermuseum Conservation Association
Intermuseum Conservation Association
The Intermuseum Conservation Association is a non-profit regional art conservation center located in Cleveland, OH. It was the first such regional conservation laboratory in the United States. The ICA currently offers conservation and preservation treatments for paintings, murals, works on paper,...
. The second building, named after former U.S. Congressman Louis Stokes
Louis Stokes
Louis Stokes is a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the United States House of Representatives....
, was dedicated in 1997. The two buildings are connected by underground corridor below the Eastman Reading Garden, which was designed by the Olin Partnership and includes sculptures by Maya Lin
Maya Lin
Maya Ying Lin is an American artist who is known for her work in sculpture and landscape art. She is the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Personal life:...
and Tom Otterness
Tom Otterness
Tom Otterness is an American sculptor whose works adorn parks, plazas, subway stations, libraries, courthouses and museums in New York---most notably in Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City and in the 14th Street/8th Avenue subway station---and other cities around the world...
.
The Main Library's special collections include the Mears and Murdock baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
collections, the Cleveland Theater collection, the John G. White
John G. White
John Griswold White was a prominent Cleveland attorney, a chess connoisseur, and a bibliophile. "Over a period of some fifty years he conducted a determined quest, throughout the world, for desirable additions to his library." Chess historian H.J.R...
chess and checkers collection
Chess libraries
Chess libraries are library collections of books and periodicals on the game of chess.Chess has a very extensive literature, probably exceeding that of all other games combined....
, a 130,000-volume children's collection, a 74,000-volume rare book collection, and collection of 1.3 million photographs.
In 2002, the Main Building had annual attendance of 804,692, annual circulation of 1,698,928 items, and a collection totaling 9,745,655 items. The Cleveland Public Library is a member of CLEVNET, a consortium of 28 public libraries throughout northern Ohio. In 1947, it became a depository library for the United Nations Library network, holding documents for the state of Ohio. There are only 400 UN depository libraries worldwide.
In 2003, The Cleveland Public Library and the Cuyahoga County Public Library
Cuyahoga County Public Library
Cuyahoga County Public Library has 28 branches that serve 47 communities in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. It was ranked the number one public library in the United States among libraries serving populations of more than 500,000 by the Hennen's American Public Library Ratings 2010...
created the Greater Access Library Card, allowing patrons of both to check out materials from either.
Its mission is "to be the best urban library system in the country by providing access to the worldwide information that people and organizations need in a timely, convenient, and equitable manner."
Main Library departments
Main Building (built 1925)- 1st Floor: Popular Library magazines, newspapers, and music CD's change made in 10/2011
- 2nd Floor: Literature includes fiction, film, comics, and television
- 3rd Floor: Fine Arts includes art, architecture, and music. This floor also houses Special Collections which includes the John G. White Collection of Folklore, Orientalia, and Chess, "the largest and most comprehensive chess library in the world."
- 4th Floor: Youth Services and Foreign Literature
- 5th Floor is book storage
Basement Walkway to Louis Stokes Wing
Louis Stokes Wing (added 1997)
- Lower Level: Computer Lab coming in 2012. The library's Auditorium is also on this level.
- 1st Floor: Audio Visual moved in 2011
- 2nd Floor: Business, Economics, and Labor. The Computer Learning Connection where the public can take free computer classes is also on this floor.
- 3rd Floor: Science and Technology
- 4th Floor: Photograph Collection and Government Documents (a Federal depository libraryFederal depository libraryThe Federal Depository Library Program is a United States program created to make U.S. federal government publications available to the public at no cost. As of June 2008, there are 1,252 depository libraries in the United States and its territories. A "government publication" is defined in the U.S...
collection) - 5th Floor: Social Sciences includes religion, politics, education, and sports
- 6th Floor: History and Geography also includes an extensive genealogy collection. The Map Collection is also on this floor. United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
documents are deposited here too. - Floors 7-9 are book storage
- 10th Floor: Library Administration
Cleveland Public Library has a public administration library located at Cleveland City Hall.
Branches
The Cleveland Public Library has 31 neighborhood branches located throughout the city:- Addison Branch
- Broadway Branch
- Brooklyn Branch
- Carnegie-West Branch
- Collinwood Branch
- East 131st Street Branch
- Eastman Branch
- Fleet Branch
- Fulton Branch
- Garden Valley Branch
- Glenville Branch
- Harvard-Lee Branch
- Hough Branch
- Jefferson Branch
- Langston Hughes Branch
- Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled
- Lorain Branch
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch
- Memorial-Nottingham Branch
- Mobile Branch
- Mount Pleasant Branch
- Public Administration Library
- Rice Branch
- Rockport Branch
- South Branch
- South Brooklyn Branch
- Sterling Branch
- Union Branch
- Walz Branch
- West Park Branch
- Woodland Branch