** Ed: For the upcoming IFLA WLIC 2016 which will be held in Ohio, United States, the Publications Team is proud to present a series of article contributions written by the libraries that conference delegates can visit.

To kick start this series, we thank Worthington Libraries for this contribution. Those of us who are planning to attend this year’s WLIC conference, do consider signing up for their library tour. **

 

Worthington Libraries is an award-winning library system located just north of Columbus, Ohio. The Library, founded in 1803, is the oldest library in Franklin County and one of the oldest library systems in the State of Ohio.

Established by a group of settlers who arrived from New England by ox cart, Worthington Libraries has evolved from a small frontier library serving a village of 100 people to three state-of-the-art locations serving a population of 60,000 residents.

Each library in the Worthington Libraries system has special features and serves a unique population.

Old Worthington Library, located in the community’s historic downtown, is the largest building and houses the library’s administrative offices, technical services department and space dedicated to preserving local history. This library also has several pieces of public art, including sculpture by Alfred Tibor and murals depicting the Founding of Worthington.

Northwest Library, opened in 1996, is a cooperative project of Worthington Libraries and Columbus Metropolitan Library. Both libraries contribute to the annual cost of operating this facility, but it is managed by Worthington Libraries. This library has some unique features, including a Poetry Path, which opened in 2015.

The Poetry Path features the work of six American poets and winds through areas of native plants, outdoor seating and bird feeders. It has become a favorite spot of photographers, students and bird watchers. Northwest Library also hosts outdoor summer concerts featuring area musicians.

Worthington Park Library, first opened in 2008 and renovated in 2013, is a storefront library located in a shopping center. It serves the most ethnically diverse population in our area and has the system’s largest Homework Help Center, which provides afterschool assistance to area students.

All three libraries have large children’s departments which, in addition to books, feature unique story time areas with characters from popular children’s books and provide access to computers, iPads and other resources. The libraries also have dedicated space for teenage patrons, public meeting rooms and areas for group collaboration as well as quiet study.

The library’s website, worthingtonlibraries.org, provides access to more than four million items through the library’s participation in the Central Library Consortium, a partnership of 14 area library systems. Books and other items can be reserved and picked up at the library location of choice, either inside during regular hours or at an outside locker when the Library is closed. The website also provides unique online resources, access to full-text newspaper and magazine articles and information databases. More than 170 computers are available for public use throughout the three libraries in the Worthington Libraries system.

Worthington Libraries’ dedication to providing excellent library service has been recognized with several national awards including the National Library of the Year Award (2007) and the John Cotton Dana Award for outstanding public relations (2011). The Library is one of only 21 library systems in the country to have received a five-star rating in each Index of Public Library Service published by Library Journal.

New service initiatives include two library lending machines, which dispense books and other library items, at two local community centers. The lending machines provide convenient access to materials for people who may not be able to get to the Library.

The Library also provides mobile hotspots, Launch Pad devices and Discovery Kits for people to check out. Mobile hotspots can be used anywhere to create a wireless network so patrons can connect any WiFi-enabled mobile device, laptop, printer, digital camera or gaming device. Launch Pads, available for kids, come preloaded with apps for specific purposes, such as studying the solar system or learning more about math. Discovery Kits contain books and other items, such as games and puppets, related to a specific subject. All of these are very popular with Worthington residents!

Finally, Worthington Libraries has a robust outreach program that brings the Library to everyone from children in local preschools and daycare centers to elderly residents in local senior care facilities. Library staff members are active participants in community events and are encouraged to get involved in community organizations.

In all these ways, Worthington Libraries plays an important role in the lives of residents and is an integral part of the Worthington community. Please plan to visit when attending the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Columbus in August.

Contributed by Ms Lisa Fuller, Director of Community Engagement at Worthington Libraries.

Posted by Justin Tan, Editor.