Dayton Metro Library is a multi-branch library system serving 476,000 residents of the Dayton Metropolitan Area. It has 21 locations across the area (as well as two bookmobiles). Over 7,600,000 items were checked out in 2008. The Dayton Metro Library ranks in the top ten best libraries in the United States serving a population of over 250,000 by HAPLR.[1]
Contents |
Library service in Dayton began in 1805 with the Social Library Society of Dayton. The Society was also the first library to be incorporated in Ohio. The Society was dissolved in 1821 and books were sold at auction.
In 1847, the Dayton Library Association was established. This lasted until 1860 when it merged with the Public School Library, founded in 1855. In 1887 it was organized as a school district library. A new building was opened in Cooper Park in January 1888. Bookmobile service began in October 1923. In 1948, the library changed in legal form from a school district library to a county district library.
In November 1956, the library officially changed its name to the Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library. A new $2.3 million building was constructed for the Main Library in 1960, with groundbreaking taking place on August 29. The new building, adjacent to the old building (since razed), opened on March 26, 1962, and is still in use today (albeit with renovations done in 1987 and 1998–2000). The Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library name stayed on until June 19, 2002, when it officially changed its name to the Dayton Metro Library. A new logo and website were unveiled in January 2003. (source of library history: compiled from Dayton Metro Library Personnel Manual, June 2005)
Borrower's cards used at Dayton Metro Library use the nearly-40 year old Codabar barcode format, with the symbol 'A' preceding and following the account number in the barcode proper.