1960s - County Stations Into Branches

Another wave of new branches opened in the 1960s to continue to support growing communities, particularly in those areas where county stations and bookmobiles were already proving popular. Hilliard, Livingston, and Reynoldsburg were the next three branches to open, between 1960 and 1965. Livingston Branch was renamed Barnett Branch in 2019 after a renovation to its 1992 building.

The Far East/Reynoldsburg area had an additional branch (Channingway) from 1974 until 1980, when the new larger Reynoldsburg Branch opened, merging the two.

First Hilliard Branch

From 1939-1960 Hilliard was served by a deposit station in the old Hilliard High School and then by the bookmobile, before the first Hilliard Branch opened on October 2, 1960. The library opened with 15,000 books on the shelf. The current Hilliard Branch has more than 170,000 volumes.

Livingston Heights

The Livingston Branch opened in 1963 at 3669 E. Livingston Ave. The Livingston Heights Place neighborhood to the west of the library was the first suburban land in Columbus to be purchased and developed by African Americans. The neighborhood, still home to the Barnett Branch, was founded in 1945 by Charles E. Jones and Dr. Harley S. Manuel.

Cakes and Ice Cream

In 1974 the Channingway Branch opened as a second location to serve the Far East side. Channingway had a “zoo” with two parakeets named Cakes and Ice Cream, and a bunny and gerbils. It merged with the new Reynoldsburg Branch when it opened in 1980.

Magic Mountain at Livingston

The second Livingston Branch location at 3655 Livingston Ave. featured the “Magic Mountain” a free-standing, two-level informal seating structure for the children to enjoy during programming or to sit on to read.

Reynoldsburg branches

Reynoldsburg had a county station library at the Reynoldsburg Elementary School by 1938, and in 1964, a library branch opened at the Reynoldsburg Shopping Center at 7094 E. Main St. The library moved to Brice Rd. with a much larger building in 1980, with a renovation in 1990, and another underway today in 2023-2024.