In the winter of 2000, the State Library of Ohio packed up books, boxes, and belongings and moved from its multi-floor location in the Departments building located at 65 South Front Street to its new and recently renovated location at 274 East First Avenue. Located just north of downtown Columbus, the Jeffrey Mining Center building provided the space the State Library needed for its depository collection, library materials, and staff, the easily accessible and free parking spaces perfect for patrons and State Library workers, and a prime location for keeping in touch with state government employees and officials.

 

During December of 2000, the State Library temporarily closed its doors to the public for nearly a month so the process of moving could begin. While the actual movement of the library collection was handled by a contracted vendor, the organization of the move was coordinated by multiple State Library staff members for well over a year.

 

At its new location, the State Library had space for several large conference rooms, a computer training lab, free and ample parking, and the ability to house its entire collection on a single floor. The change from some of the cramped and closed-off areas of the Departments building to more easily accessible library materials was a real positive for staff and patrons alike.

 

The State Library reopened its doors to the public at its new location in January of 2001. Since then, the library has provided free meeting room space for countless state agencies and library organizations in the multiple conference rooms, has undergone additional renovations to make room for the Kent State School of Library and Information Science program to move in, and in an effort to save money, coordinated and executed a plan to move approximately 65,000 books and vacate over 16,000 square feet of space at the new location – a plan carried out entirely by State Library of Ohio staff.

 

Over the past eight-and-a-half years, the building at 274 East First Avenue has undergone some minor and major changes. But one thing has remained constant. The State Library will always be dedicated to providing the best services to Ohio’s state government and public libraries – no matter where we are.