The Westerville Public Library is a public library that serves the community of Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. As a school district library, its geographic boundaries are defined by the Westerville City School District which is located in both Franklin County and Delaware County. All Ohio residents can apply for a Westerville Public Library card.

Services

Circulating Materials

The library circulates (i.e. allows cardholders to borrow) the following types of items in various formats for education or entertainment purposes: Library cardholders also have the option to request items from other libraries through SearchOhio or OhioLINK.

Events & Programs

The library hosts events and programs for patrons of all ages, including story times, computer classes, book clubs, etc. There were 1,502 events held in 2023. The Westerville Public Library is also known for their month-long "Wizards & Wands" event where the entire library is decorated with thematic pieces and décor from various fantasy worlds and stories. The program runs all of October and culminated in the "Wizards & Wands Festival" that is held on the last Friday of October. There is live entertainment and performances held in and around the library. Previous years have included live animal visits, jugglers, musicians and magical science experiments. The icon of the Westerville Public Library's "Wizards & Wands" has been Hilda, a dragon that nests on the roof of the library throughout October. In 2023, Hilda had been retired due to weathering and her egg, which was designed by Otterbein University students, was placed on the front lawn. At 6-feet tall, this temporary art installment is intended to help draw funding for a new dragon to adorn the roof for future "Wizards & Wands" events.

School Deliveries

School deliveries (formerly named Library Link and established as a service to replace Project Connect in 2004) are made daily of Westerville Public Library materials to any participating school in the Westerville City School District. Students, faculty, and staff of the participating schools can all receive library materials, except for art prints, as dictated by library policies.

Services for Seniors & Homebound Individuals

Outreach Services offers free delivery of library materials to persons who are physically unable to visit the library, including the elderly, the disabled, and those who are temporarily incapacitated by illness or accident. Outreach also offers free delivery to full-time caregivers and any resident of a nursing home, assisted living facility, or senior apartment within the Westerville City School District, regardless of health or mobility.

Website

The Westerville Public Library website provides free access to the library's catalog of circulating materials, as well as remote access to an extensive collection of research databases and digital collections, such as ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and music.

History

The Westerville Public Library has been recognized as being on the "cutting edge" in the technology field; as one study notes, "it was the first Ohio library to provide public internet access, the first to have a Web-based catalog, the first to implement self-check machines, etc."

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Other Information

Westerville History Museum

The Library is also the home of a museum dedicated to preserving and sharing Westerville’s history through its collections of national and local interest. One collection of national importance is for the Anti-Saloon League, a famous American temperance organization that was established in Oberlin, Ohio on May 24, 1893, and dissolved in 1933. The organization was established to "work for unification of public anti-alcohol sentiment, enforcement of existing temperance laws, and encourage the enactment of further anti-alcohol legislation." The city of Westerville, Ohio was dry for well over a century. Westerville was once called the "dry capital of the world", however it has recently relinquished that title as the first legal drink in recent times was served in Westerville in 2006.

John R. Kasich Collection

On June 11, 2006, the Westerville Public Library unveiled the John R. Kasich Congressional Collection. The collection includes biographical, travel, campaign, and Republican Party files from John Kasich's terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as correspondence with constituents, 1,128 multimedia files, speeches, and memorabilia, such as his Congressional desk and the gavel he used as chair of the House budget committee.