Library will celebrate 25 years at current location June 13

On Thursday, June 13, the Roy Parks Memorial Library of Bolivar and Lawrence Township will celebrate its first 25 years in its current location with a birthday bash from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

While the building is 25 years old, locals have memories of the library that stretch as far back as when Goat Farm Road and Little’s Turn were the way they gave people directions.

Bolivar Council member Dan Oberlin’s grandmother Nellie Oberlin was the first librarian, according to a history provided by the library. She served from 1937-42. At that time the library was housed in half of the building most recently occupied by Sublime Smoke on Water Street. The other half was occupied by Helwick’s General Store.

“For the first three years, it was a stand-alone before joining the county library system,” Dan Oberlin said.

When the building was later purchased by Kermit Lebold for the Lebold Lumber Company, the library moved to 164 Canal St., the current home of Oberlin Antiques.

Rhea Reed was the next head librarian, serving from 1942-62. Reed’s granddaughter Gretchen Deubner has fond memories of the library under her grandmother’s direction.

“When I was a young child, I remember whenever she saw Mom and I in Bolivar, she would stand out front and wave to us,” Deubner said. “I also remember riding my bike there when I was about 9 or 10 years old. She was really particular that I only read age-appropriate books, and I had gone in wanting to check out a book called ‘Letters to Ann Landers.’ I wasn’t allowed.”

Upon Reed’s retirement Janet Gordon held the position of head librarian from 1962-81. Gordon’s daughter Nancy Gordon Wyatt recalls her mother could be a stern woman, but she also was very attentive to her customers’ reading preferences.

“She loved that job. She got to know people so well that when sent to the main library in New Philadelphia, she picked out books just for specific people. Then she’d put them in a little pile behind her desk with their names on them, so when they came in, she would have them all ready. I mean who does that?” Gordon Wyatt said.

Librarians following Gordon’s tenure included Barb Pederson, Marsha Fortune, Teresa Kutcher and Jennifer Connolly.

A new chapter

Marsha Fortune was the branch manager in 1999 when the library received its new home at 455 W. Water St. The land for the library was willed to the village by Bolivar resident Roy Parks, whose extensive arrowhead collection is housed in the new building.

Building the new library was a community-wide effort, led by a building committee made up of local leaders who, along with Lawrence Township trustees, supervised the planning and construction. The trustees also contributed a $100,000 loan to help get the project started. Committee chair Pat Swarny said the Village of Bolivar agreed to provide $50,000, and the Reeve’s Foundation donated another $50,000 toward the estimated $400,000 price tag.

Fortune recalled the reasons for wanting a new building. “There was no hot water in the old building, and we needed more space,” she said. “It was freezing in the winter and very hot in the summer, and there was no way to get air in, not even a breeze.”

After learning a state grant they were counting on had gone to another village, the committee raised $24,000 in community pledges, and the Tuscarawas County Library pitched in with $30,000. Additional funds were raised through selling wall bricks that are now on display in the library foyer.

Bookworms unite for the celebration

Today’s librarians are called branch managers, and the current person in that position in Bolivar is Courtney Wallace, now entering her third year there. “We want the community to come and enjoy the library because it is theirs,” she said.

Wallace described the treats the community can expect during the celebration including cake and refreshments inside. Lawn games, face painting, crafts, bubbles and balloon animals figure into the outdoor fun.

“We are also going to have our preservation station operating, which converts VHS tapes to DVDs,” Wallace said. “Our 3-D printer will also be going because we want to highlight some of our new services the public may not know about.”

An Ohio transplant from Minnesota, Wallace said the community has been warm and welcoming to her. “They’ve just opened their arms and taken me in,” she said.

And her favorite part of the job? “I really enjoy working with the children, especially story time. They get so excited when they come to the door, and their eyes just light up. It has been so fun to make that connection,” she said.

Wallace acknowledged the village for helping keep the library in top shape. “Any time I’ve asked for anything, they’ve responded,” she said. “The village has done so much work to keep the grounds beautiful so more people will use it as a park area.”

Lawrence Township also has helped maintain the library’s value to the community. In 2017 township trustees sought and obtained grant funding in the neighborhood of $23,000 to replace the old gas furnace and heat pump with an electric heat and central air.

More recently, the board pitched in funds to help with the purchase of a new water fountain.

Wallace also gave credit to local business owner Mike Haueter, also a township trustee, for donating metal stands he designed and built for the outdoor Story Walk.

“One of the committee members told me the building is situated diagonally on the lot because they wanted to save as many trees as possible,” Wallace said.

Visitors to the celebration may pop in any time from 5:30-7:30 p.m. or stay for the entire event.

The Bolivar Library is located at 455 W. Water St. Call the library at 330-874-2720 or visit the library’s Facebook page by searching Bolivar Branch Library.