Hundreds of Canal Winchester, Ohio residents gathered at 123 Groveport Road to witness the opening of a 21st century library complex, with the ribbon cutting done by school children, community leaders and city officials.

The 30,000 square feet of space (increased from 5,400 square feet) has three meeting rooms and nine study rooms for community use, a larger interactive Children’s area, dedicated spaces for tweens and teens, a Learning Center, a dynamic space for programs, public computers and Business Center for community use, commissioned works of public art, seating areas to read and relax, including a Quiet Room and a collection of library materials to meet the community’s needs.

“We know that strong libraries create strong communities. Each branch is an essential hub that unites and reflects the neighborhood it serves.  Today we celebrate our new Canal Winchester Branch,” said Lauren Hagan, Chief Executive Officer of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

“We are excited to continue to serve this community from this new building. We have been preparing programs and activities for the kids in this community. We can’t wait to start,” said Keith Hanson, Manager, Canal Winchester branch.

Commendation letters for the opening of the new library were presented by Senator Michele Reynolds and Representative Meredith Lawson-Rowe.

The story of libraries in Canal Winchester stretches back nearly 150 years. The town’s first library opened on Christmas Eve, 1877, in the old Town Hall. It offered a cozy space with 200 donated books, led by librarian Henry S. Binkley.

By the mid-1930s, that early library had closed, but Canal Winchester residents continued their commitment to reading through county taxes that supported library services. On March 5, 1937, the Canal Winchester County Station Library at the Canal Winchester School opened with just 60 volumes, expanding to 600 within a year.

Superintendent A.B. Weiser and teachers helped run the library, and its success inspired the opening of 10 more county stations across the county. By 1958, Canal Winchester Station held 5,627 books with a monthly circulation of 3,000. After the county station closed in 1963, Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Bookmobile visited twice weekly, parking regularly on Waterloo Street.

Library service returned in 2016 when Columbus Metropolitan Library opened an express branch at 115 Franklin St., inside the former school cafeteria and gym in the former Education Center.

The current standalone library at 123 Groveport Road is about 30,000 square feet, and it is five times larger than the express branch and represents the latest chapter in a long tradition of community, learning and access to knowledge through books.

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