The Akron Public Library first opened its doors on March 1, 1874. To celebrate its 150th anniversary, the library’s main location Downtown and 18 branches plan to host various events throughout 2024, including author meetups and talks, library history overviews and a “Grand Gala.” It also plans on introducing some new program initiatives throughout the year.
“If we just do something on one day, then it just kind of ... happens, and I think people stop thinking about it,” Akron Summit County Public Library Development Director Michael Derr said. “So, we kind of want to keep it in people's minds. I mean, it's been 150 years. So, it seems like we should spend a little more time than one day, celebrating all that time.”
Derr said the library is one of the only places that people can go where there's nothing really expected of them. “It's just a free place where you can be and gather information and resources to make your life better. So just sort of always having that top of mind, and there aren't there aren't many institutions in Akron, as old as we are. We're sort of important that way, too,” Derr said.
The library’s sesquicentennial celebration actually began in November 2023 when Nick Offerman, a comedian and actor known for his roles on “Parks and Recreation” and “The Last of Us,” spoke on what public libraries have meant for him and his career.
The library and its branch locations do not have anything special planned for Friday, but other initiatives in the works for the year include a “passport program,” where people are encouraged to visit all libraries in the Akron and Summit County areas to receive “stamps.”
“A lot of people are used to going to their one particular neighborhood branch,” Derr said. “We want to get people all over the city of Akron and Summit County to see all of our different locations.”
Mary Plazo, manager of special collections at the library, says the new and current events and initiatives like the "Passport Program," are really a testament to the ways in which the library has changed over the years since 1874.
"I think we really are the perfect library in that we still maintain a very personal, small-town service, even though we are in a, you know, fairly large city in Akron," Plazo said. "So, I think we're very proud of that. I think we've been able to maintain that."
The library began in a single room of the Akron Masonic Temple in 1874. It then moved to the Everett Building in 1898, before getting funding from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and moving into the “Carnegie Building” in 1904. Plazo said the library then began to open branches throughout the county and started children’s and social programs began. The current main branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library on High Street opened in 2004.
One hundred and fifty years later, the library continues to sponsor events, social programs and local artists.
“I mean, we really tried to provide a wide range of services to pick up all those other areas that people might not get the attention,” Plazo said. We are one of the very last places that anybody can walk into that doesn't matter what your background is, where you come from, what your financial statuses are.”
In addition to the upcoming events, initiatives and everyday workings of the library, they have also introduced limited addition, “commemorative” library cards to be sent to current library card holders and patrons, as well as tote bags and mugs for purchase at the library’s various locations. The cards and tote bags will feature artwork by local artists Lizzi Aronhalt and April Couch.
You can learn more about the library’s history and upcoming anniversary events.
