Ohioana Library Association

Morgan D. _{on Yelp}

Nov 13th, 2008

I saw god at the Ohioana Library. I had never been before today. I don't know what I was expecting. I thought they JUST cataloged Ohio authors like Thurber. But no, my friend, they do so much more.The Ohioana Library is mammoth. It reminds me of an arena neatly filled with books and catalogs. When you first walk in, there's a wide hallway with doors jutting off to conference rooms and study areas. The next thing you see is the big room with the circular circulation desk, my favorite kind of circulation desk. The desk is very large. There were only two or three workers sitting at it when I went, but it can easily hold fifteen, no joke.The number of aisles I saw scanning back past the circulation desk gave me goosebumps and made my heart flutter. There are so many stacks of books. And all the aisles are perfectly aligned so that if you stand at one end of the library, you can see clean to the other end. I am very much impressed with their organization.There are demographic catalogs, newspaper archives, publicized military reports, leaflets of sheet music, and drawers filled with maps. Plus there are books, books, and more books. They have all the Ohio authors, but they have some great art books as well, many of them old and musty, but full of useful information. I recommend taking a look at the New York Times archive. I could've spent the night sitting there.The library is dark and mysterious. If you look up, you'll see a peaked, barebones ceiling.Towards the back, there is a room the size of a small gym. It was totally hollowed, but I'm guessing that's where they hold regional and national conferences.The best thing about the Ohioana Library is that it smells like an old book. It took me back to the smell of my elementary school library.The second best thing about the Ohioana Library is that it is deadly quiet. It's the quietest library I've ever been to.The third best thing about the Ohioana Library is that no one asks you if you need assistance; they let you roam.The worst thing about the Ohioana Library is that it's only open weekdays from 8:30a-4:30p. So, if you work a literal 9-5, like me, the only time you'll be able to go is during your lunch break, and an hour is not enough time to soak in the gloriousness of this place.