LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — The Lima Public Library is celebrating 125 years of serving the community by reflecting on its history and looking ahead to its future.
The library invited the public to learn about its beginnings, which date back to 1901 when its first director operated the library from the second floor of a downtown Lima building. Through grants and community support, the library expanded over the years, moving into larger facilities and opening branches throughout Allen County.
As technology evolved, so did the library, growing into a hub for information, entertainment and education for residents across Lima and Allen County.
“Looking back over the history while I put together for this presentation just showed how resilient the library is through the Spanish flu pandemic that came through, the depression, the wars. They just kept standing and providing information to patrons, which is what we look to do in the future for like hopefully another 125 years. As we've moved from building to building, we've just gotten bigger and we've gotten better and and this new construction that's coming up we're becoming more accessible and I think it just shows that the county and the community really do appreciate the library and they see it as a good resource,” says Liz Smith, Head of Public Relations, Lima Public Library.
To commemorate the 125th anniversary, the Lima Public Library will give away commemorative items each Monday in July while supplies last.
