Paulding Friends of the Library: The PCCL has a Friends group that supports the many projects and services of the library. Please consider helping the library in this important area.

History:

Library service was first established in Paulding County in the late 1800s. In 1914, with a grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, construction began on a new building and was completed in 1916. In 1984, the library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1990, the PCCL established its first branch library in Antwerp, in 1996 a branch library was opened in Payne, and in 2000 the library’s third branch was opened in Oakwood. In 2003 the library was placed on Ohio’s Historic Registry in recognition of the library being the first
Carnegie library in the United States built to serve an entire county.

Technology:

The library provides access to the Internet via high-speed informa- tion lines as part of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN). In 2007 the library initiated free wireless access at the main library. This service allows patrons to use their personal laptops and the library’s wireless access point for their informational needs. The library received 26 computers as part of a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The library was also awarded one of 13 statewide Gates Computer Labs for computer training. Via the Internet and online reference databases, patrons are able to access thousands of full-text magazine articles, research and other authoritative information to meet their informational needs both at the library and remotely from their personal computers. The library provides online access to its collection via the Polaris automation system. This sys-tem allows patrons to request titles off site from their home computers. The library actively participates in the statewide resource-sharing program, Ohio LibrariesShare: M.O.R.E. Patrons are able to request resources from any library through-out Ohio and have it delivered to their local public library.

Special Services:

The Youth Services department provides services for youth ages 0-18 and their parents and caregivers. The department sponsors a county-wide reading competition for area fifth and sixth graders called Battle of the Books. Other programs include Summer Reading Program, make-and-takes, story times, movies and special events. The local history and genealogy department is com-prehensive with holdings including cemetery records, war rosters and obituary file. Library staff also delivers books to residents of area nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The Collection: Library holdings include: best sellers; popular fiction and nonfic-tion; large print collection; authoritative reference material; magazine subscrip-tions; local, regional, state and national newspapers; DVD movies, books record-ed on cassette tape and CD; and music CDs. The library owns special titles on the Civil War, World War I and World War II as well as historical documents of military leaders and campaigns.

Genealogy and Local History:

Hundreds of amateur genealogists from through-out the United States visit the PCCL genealogy and local history department year-ly. The collection includes a variety of genealogy and family histories, census records, early birth and marriage indices and an obituary file. The library also hous-es a growing local history collection, historical Paulding County school yearbooks, a rare book collection and postcards depicting early Paulding County life. Historical photos of Paulding County are also available via the library’s website and researchers may download and email historical newspaper articles with the library’s new Microsoft compatible microfilm reader purchased jointly by the library and the genealogy society.

Other services:

public fax, color scanner and printers, color and black & white photocopier, tax forms, voter registration, hot and cold laminating, and die-cut center.