Blanchester Public Library

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Blanchester Public Library An organizational meeting of concerned citizens was held on this date at the home of H.O. Craig with State Librarian Paul Noon in attendance.

History of the Blanchester Public Library

The Blanchester area has been served by libraries of one form or another dating back to the Civil War, but the official founding date of the Blanchester Public Library is May 25, 1935. The first Board of Trustees was elected and state funds were promised. The new library opened Feb. 15, 1936 in a rented room in the Gibson Building on West Main Street with 1,147 books and May Reeder as the first librarian. Alden Shawhan, a library board member who died in 1944, left money in his will to construct a new library building. The library eventually did receive the money, but due to a controversy over the will, the new building at the current location did not open until Nov. 4, 1957. The library more than doubled in space to its current size of 7,500 square feet with an addition in 1988-89. An open house to celebrate the new building was held on Sept. 10, 1989. The Blanchester Public Library, like most public libraries in Ohio, receives the majority of its funding from the state's Public Library Fund. Local voters approved a 1.0 mill operating levy for the library in 1996 and renewed it in 2001 and 2006. Funds from this levy provided about 15 percent of the library's operating budget. The library sought an increase to a 2.0-mill, continuing levy in the spring of 2010, and voters resoundingly approved it by a 63 to 37 percent margin. The library began receiving funds from this levy in 2011, and it provides nearly 40 percent of the annual operating revenue. These funds are indispensable in allowing the library to meet an increasing demand from patrons as monies from the state continue to decrease. The library is one of the nine founding members of the Consortium Of Ohio Libraries (COOL) and in March 2013 went live on the Evergreen system. The move to an open-source circulation system will help the library maintain costs in the future while also providing patrons quick access to about 400,000 items. COOL currently consists of 11 small libraries. Today, the library features more than 55,000 items and nearly 10,000 registered cardholders.

Tonight's Brick Builders challenge was Haunted Houses! You can see Everly's Ghost House and Julian's Haunted House of Fi...
10/22/2026

Tonight's Brick Builders challenge was Haunted Houses! You can see Everly's Ghost House and Julian's Haunted House of Finding the Crystal at the front desk for the next month. Our next Brick Builders Challenge is November 20 at 6 pm.

Join us at 6 p.m. tonight for Brick Builders! 👻 Get creative and have fun at this 60-minute LEGO building challenge.
10/22/2026

Join us at 6 p.m. tonight for Brick Builders! 👻 Get creative and have fun at this 60-minute LEGO building challenge.

We are so excited to have Tammy Jones of OSU Extension Pike County at our library for a hands-on Sourdough Class, perfec...
10/20/2026

We are so excited to have Tammy Jones of OSU Extension Pike County at our library for a hands-on Sourdough Class, perfect for beginners! Please join us Wednesday, November 4 from 6-8 p.m. to learn how to make delicious sourdough loaves. Registration is required and space is limited! Call 937-783-3585 to register by October 30th.

Teens, stop by the library tonight at 6 p.m. for Teen Space! 💫 Play games, chat, craft, snack, and hang out with friends...
10/20/2026

Teens, stop by the library tonight at 6 p.m. for Teen Space! 💫 Play games, chat, craft, snack, and hang out with friends.

Join us for Toddler Time or Preschool time this week (10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) for a Storytime all...
10/20/2026

Join us for Toddler Time or Preschool time this week (10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) for a Storytime all about teeth. 🪥 Children will create a monster tooth brushing craft to take home after a few stories, songs, and a snack!

At 5 p.m. today, join us for a Family Storytime all about rain and make a pop-bottle rain gauge! 🌧
10/19/2026

At 5 p.m. today, join us for a Family Storytime all about rain and make a pop-bottle rain gauge! 🌧

10/18/2026
We had a wonderful time at Booklovers last week! Join us next month on November 5 as we discuss "Remarkably Bright Creat...
10/15/2026

We had a wonderful time at Booklovers last week! Join us next month on November 5 as we discuss "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt, "a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus." 🐙

We will be making w**e cork pumpkins this afternoon at Crafty Creations! 🍁 Make this adorable fall decoration with us us...
10/14/2026

We will be making w**e cork pumpkins this afternoon at Crafty Creations! 🍁 Make this adorable fall decoration with us using w**e corks, paint, and faux autumn florals. No registration is required for this afternoon session.

Paint pumpkins and learn all about them with special guest Nellie Rowland tonight at the library! 🎃
10/13/2026

Paint pumpkins and learn all about them with special guest Nellie Rowland tonight at the library! 🎃

Address

110 N Broadway Street
Blanchester, OH
45107

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 7pm
Tuesday 10am - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 7pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

(937) 783-3585

Website

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