Can Libraries be Everything to Everyone?

Ohioans love their libraries. A recent study found Ohio ranks first nationally in library visits per capita -- and that the state has the highest public library usage rate in the U.S. as measured by the percentage of residents who have a library card. Historically, Ohio trails only New York in the number of Five-Star libraries, a yearly distinction awarded by the Library Journal, the oldest and most respected publication covering library service. Our very own Cleveland Public Library (CPL) has received four or five stars every year since 2009.\r\n\r\nAs one of our nation's oldest democratic public spaces, libraries have become deeply integrated into our communities. For generations, they have gone beyond books and stepped in to meet a wide variety of social and civic needs-building decades of trust and leaving an indelible mark on so many of us. Yet, this growth has also deepened the debate about what the modern-day library can, or even should offer as part of its services.\r\n\r\nAs CPL celebrates its 155th anniversary, join the City Club to hear how library directors in Ohio, and across the country, have balanced the evolution of modern libraries with meeting the growing needs of the communities they serve today.