Greenville Public Library is a publicly funded library in historic downtown Greenville, Ohio. Our 20,000 square foot building houses almost 100,000 titles and serves over 25,000 patrons. Our genealogy department is a treasure trove of historical information about our town and county. The library also has a thriving YA program, a classic film series, game nights, children’s programs, a computer lab for public use, and numerous other services.
Our library has a long and storied history dating back to 1832, when the very first attempt to establish a library in Greenville failed miserably (or possibly just failed, but it’s hard to imagine a town without a library not being miserable). In 1889 the first library was successfully opened in Greenville and was housed in a local school building. The library jumped between buildings for the next few years until townspeople sought funding from millionaire and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to build a proper library building. The cornerstone of our current building was laid on October 30, 1901, and contained documents related to the project, as well as copies of each of the eight newspapers being printed in Greenville at the time.
Over the years the library building has continued to expand and undergo updates and renovations, most notably doubling in size during 2007 in a project that saw all library inventory and operations moved to a nearby empty business during the year-long construction. Our services have also grown and changed over the years to meet the needs of our community, while always providing the basics (most notably lots and lots of books, of course) that should be a part of every public library.
Times keep changing and our library is always looking for ways to better serve our community in the twenty-first century. In recent years we have added the option for our patrons to download e-books and digital music, as well as sit and enjoy the library’s free wifi anywhere in the building. We will continue to look for new ways to serve our town, and we welcome suggestions and ideas from our patrons.
Fourth and Sycamore 