If you haven’t been to the Grandview Heights Public Library (GHPL) recently, you haven’t been at all. This year, it’s celebrating 100 years of service, and it doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon.
“One of the things we pride ourselves on is innovation and bringing great services to the community at a great value,” Canaan Faulkner, GHPL public relations manager says.
It’s safe to say the library has evolved in many ways throughout its tenure – you likely haven’t seen books listed in Italian recently at the GHPL.
Historic Reading Room. Courtesy of Canaan Faulkner.
“We have a big Italian community and I found a newspaper clipping from when they would list the new books in Italian, for the Italian community interest,” Faulkner says.
GHPL is also focused on connecting with its younger members. It’s planning a collaboration with the fire department to do a special exhibit showcasing badges and other artifacts to teach kids about fire safety.
Another one of the library’s recent endeavors is a community class about ChatGPT to help residents adapt to the technology age. The library is expanding its tech-centric offerings, which Faulkner says has been one of the biggest changes during his 17-year tenure.
“One of our staff members did a craft class where they put together their phone to cast onto the screen so you could see them doing the detailed work with their hands; so that people could follow along in the craft class,” he says.
Programming like this has been a staple at the library for years, along with resources such as community rooms, millions of books available and special guest authors – though the format has evolved.
“We used to take meeting room reservations over the phone and keep the log in a notebook. Now (residents) can do them online themselves through our website. And manage their reservations and have all the details, automatic reminders, cancellations,” Faulkner says.
Hollywood in the Heights
Many of the updates GHPL made throughout its history can be accredited to the Grandview Heights Public Library Foundation, which started in the ‘90s and partners with libraries to help them accomplish larger projects without tax dollars.
The foundation’s fundraisers allowed GHPL to bring some household names to Tri-Village for special programming.
“We’ve had the head author Celeste (Ng) in here, of Little Fires Everywhere from the Netflix show,” Faulkner says. “We went to pick her up when she flew in, and she said in order to be at this specific event where she was speaking about her work, she had skipped a table read with Julia Roberts.”
GHPL Pop-Up Library. Courtesy of Canaan Faulkner.
Other big names the library hosted are Will Shortz, New York Times puzzle master, and Margaret Atwood, writer and novelist.
The library didn’t always have so many resources available to cardholders. Faulkner says there are now 67 million items available to cardholders through partnerships with other libraries. If the GHPL doesn’t have the book you’re looking for, it can be ordered from another library and shipped to you.
“(In the 1980s) you’d come in and say ‘This is what we have on the shelf and this is what you can take out.’ That’s no longer the case,” he says.
Other resources available to check out or explore at the library listed on the GHPL website include board games, craft kits, early learning backpacks, mobile exhibits, homework help, guitars and ukuleles, and Wi-Fi in Grandview Parks.
Innovation never stops
While change can be scary, the GHPL community seems to welcome developments and innovations at the library.
“Once something new is implemented, it’s usually very well received, because it’s something new. It’s something that works; that is exciting. This community is very open to that. And that’s what makes this relationship special, the support we get from the community and the services and the value we offer the community,” he says.
The library is continuing to expand and is soon breaking ground on its new covered outdoor stage. Other projects slated to be finished by the summer are a permanent exterior drive-thru, enhanced traffic flow and parking, and improved pedestrian accessibility and walkways.
This year, the library is also celebrating 38 years of its “marquee event” Music on the Lawn. Every Tuesday in June and July, the library hosts free summer concerts on its lawn with food trucks and a pop-up library people can enjoy while listening to live music.
Music on the Lawn. Courtesy of Canaan Faulkner.
It’s clear to Faulkner that the library made a positive impact on its community in its first 100 years, and he believes it will continue to do so in the years to come.
“Our tagline is ‘where the community connects,’ and it just drives home the point that (the library) is as relevant as it’s ever been,” Faulkner says.
Ava Huelskamp is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
