Columbus Metropolitan Library

Columbus Metropolitan Library Columbus Metropolitan Library includes 23 locations in Franklin County. Our mission is to inspire reading, connect people, and expand opportunity.
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This is the official page of Columbus Metropolitan Library. Our purpose is to inspire reading, share resources and connect people. We have 23 locations throughout central Ohio. Find them here: http://www.columbuslibrary.org/locations

The Ohio State Fairgrounds entrance on East 11th Avenue has grown over the years 🚗In 1891, the primary entrance was on t...
08/30/2026

The Ohio State Fairgrounds entrance on East 11th Avenue has grown over the years 🚗

In 1891, the primary entrance was on the southwest side of the fairgrounds, and this gate served as a small entrance for carriages.

By 1966, automobile traffic was heavy enough to need an expanded secondary entrance. A 32-foot-tall structure was built that year, featuring 100-foot-wide red and white letters spelling O-H-I-O. It was built of plywood over a wooden frame.

In 2022, the structure was replaced with a more modern design, but the massive O-H-I-O remains.

📸 Photo c. 1952

It's finally Friday! Are you reading something special this weekend? 😎
08/28/2026

It's finally Friday! Are you reading something special this weekend? 😎

For years, our Karl Road Branch has celebrated “Dolly Week” in January. There’s a “Dress like Dolly Day”, a bluegrass co...
08/27/2026

For years, our Karl Road Branch has celebrated “Dolly Week” in January. There’s a “Dress like Dolly Day”, a bluegrass concert, a Dolly selfie station, and a special collection of books.

There’s also a food and hygiene products drive, in honor of Dolly’s passion for making a difference. This year amassed 192 pounds of items donated by staff members who were inspired by Dolly’s lifelong giving.

Dolly Week will be a little different next year, but it will continue – so please keep her Jan. 19 birthday on your calendar ❤️

We’re excited to bring back the Job & Resource Fair, now featuring 60+ employers and community organizations! ✨Get free ...
08/26/2026

We’re excited to bring back the Job & Resource Fair, now featuring 60+ employers and community organizations! ✨

Get free professional headshots, attend career workshops, or find one-on-one resources to help you – or someone you know – explore future opportunities.

Find the full list of employers and events in the comments.

🕚 Thursday, Sept. 10 from 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
📍 Main Library | 96 S. Grant Ave.

Dolly Parton was a champion for literacy. Through her Imagination Library, she gave more than 332 million books to child...
08/25/2026

Dolly Parton was a champion for literacy.

Through her Imagination Library, she gave more than 332 million books to children around the world, including more than 26 million books in Ohio. More than 1 million children in Ohio have received a book from Dolly's library.

When interviewed, Dolly said she was “as proud of the Imagination Library as I ever will be… anything I ever do for the rest of my life."

May her legacy live on through the millions of unforgettable stories gifted to the world and children alike.

Thank you, Dolly ❤️

📸 Dolly Parton performs at the Ohio State Fair on August 20, 1977

Downtown Gay Street hasn't changed much since 1981 ➡️🍺 In the center is 47 E. Gay St., now Monk’s Copy Shop – but origi...
08/23/2026

Downtown Gay Street hasn't changed much since 1981 ➡️

🍺 In the center is 47 E. Gay St., now Monk’s Copy Shop – but originally a saloon called “The Old Landmark”. It was later a bowling alley, an electric sales company, and a to***co store (pictured). Monk’s started on the second floor in 1980 before taking over the main storefront in 1984.

🏢 On the left is 51 E. Gay St., originally home to P.I. Hayes & Co. which sold and repaired bicycles and motorcycles. It was later the Re*****on Typewriter Co., and today, it houses Aracri Pizzeria with offices above.

🏡 On the right is 43 E. Gay St., tucked behind a tree. The Diehl Office Equipment Company sold fountain pens and other office supplies here from 1920–82, when it moved to Northland. It was then home to The Typewriter Exchange, a Columbus company that was founded in 1900. They moved to Clintonville in 1993.

While its shops and owners have changed hands, the buildings remain very similar to how they looked in 1981.

08/21/2026

This is the Giant Bear

Happy Friday! What are you reading this weekend? 😎
08/21/2026

Happy Friday! What are you reading this weekend? 😎

08/19/2026

Pack a book box with us ✨ 21 lucky readers are getting a customized book box for completing the Summer Reading Challenge – tailored to their specific interests by our team of dedicated librarians.

We get to send 685 BACKPACKS to kids in central Ohio this year ❤️ Thank you to everyone who donated school supplies at t...
08/18/2026

We get to send 685 BACKPACKS to kids in central Ohio this year ❤️

Thank you to everyone who donated school supplies at the library this summer!

From here, the backpacks will be distributed to local children in need by Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana through their Operation Backpack program.

Address

96 S. Grant Avenue
Columbus, OH
43215

Telephone

+16146452275

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