The State Library Service Center was established by the State Library of Ohio with the intent of augmenting the services of 12 libraries in 8 counties of Ohio which were among the state’s most impoverished. The Center was placed in Caldwell because it was centrally located in the region. The Center first opened in January 1961.
It covered an eight-county service area that included Belmont, Guernsey, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry and Washington counties.
The Center was one of four field units established by the Ohio State Library (known now as the State Library of Ohio). Locations of the other units were Central Ohio Bookmobile in Columbus, serving Ross, Champaign, Madison, Marion and Union Counties, Regional Library Center in Napoleon, serving Fulton, Henry, Defiance and Wood Counties, and Regional Library Service Center in Winchester, serving Adams and Brown Counties.
The Regional Center was a store front that was 2,400 square feet on two floors with a space about 15,000 volumes plus a meeting space for 30 people, several offices, two bookmobiles and work space. It was located in Olive Shopping Lane. It had two operating budgets. One budget was for the regional center and one budget for the bookmobile program.
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