Alot has unfolded within the Lorain Public Library System’s (LPLS) 125 years in existence.

“While the needs of the patrons in our service districts have changed over the years, the library has been able to pivot and adapt to continue to provide,” says Jennifer Black, director, marketing and public relations, LPLS, which now comprises six branches in five service districts. “We connect our communities to vital, accessible and innovative experiences that enrich, empower and inspire.”

Bookmarking the Year

To honor the anniversary, LPLS is featuring themed programming nearly every week from April through December.

“Some of these highlight other entities also celebrating their 125th, like the American League in baseball and license plates or people born in 1901,” Black says. “Others are taking a look back at the history of local foods, such as Lorain’s fish preparation and Avon’s grape growers.”

Additionally, each branch is putting on its own decades-themed anniversary party; hosting a “birthday bash” with Browser, LPLS’s golden retriever mascot, that includes story time, crafts and other fun activities; and featuring an exhibit that highlights the history of LPLS.

LPLS has also invited local businesses to offer a special discount or library-themed menu item or permit the library to create a display in their storefront window.

LPLS’s Legacy

The LPLS's storied past also includes Toni Morrison, who worked for the library in Lorain when she was young, says LPLS Director, Anastasia Diamond-Ortiz.

“She was quoted a number of times about using the library and being inspired to write books with characters that she did not see reflected in the books already on the shelf,” Diamond-Ortiz says.

When Morrison was later awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, she was asked how the City of Lorain could honor her, and she requested a dedicated space at the library where people could quietly sit and read.

LPLS made that a reality with the opening of the Toni Morrison Reading Room at the Main Library.

A Brief History

1901: The Lorain Public Library Association formed.

1903: Construction of the Main Library began. A small circulating library in South Lorain was established.

1935: Bookmobile service began in Columbia Township in 1935 with a branch opening in 1955.

1935: Bookmobile service began for Sheffield Lake with the branch opening in 1962.

1939: Bookmobile service began in North Ridgeville with a branch opening in 1958.

1947: Bookmobile service began in Avon, with branch opening in 1956.

1957: Construction of the new Main Library building finished.