Located between Dillard’s Cincinnati Children’s Discovery Center and Dillards department store, the 3,681-square-foot library will feature a collection of 5,000 items available for check out along with a drive-up book return and on-site programming.
FIRST COVERAGE: MidPointe Library opening new branch at Liberty Center
It also will feature WiFi, public computers with Internet access, the ability to reserve items for checkout and more. The capability to issue passports will be available next year.
“For a long time we’ve wanted to open a branch in Liberty Twp.,” said Travis Bautz, MidPointe Library’s director. “We conducted a survey to gauge the community’s desire for library services and were thrilled when the response came back overwhelmingly positive.”
Convenience for patrons was a key factor in the choice of Liberty Center as a site for a new branch, library officials said.
MORE: Day spa will open in Liberty Twp. just in time for the holidays
“Liberty Center is easy to get to, has a huge variety of shopping and entertainment venues and convenient parking just to mention a few of the pluses,” Bautz explained. “So it just makes sense for us to be where our patrons are.”
In 2015, voters in the MidPointe Library district approved renewing the five-year, 0.75-mill levy that helps to cover operating expenses for the system with branches in Middletown, West Chester Twp., Monroe and Trenton.
Levy monies make up 40 percent of MidPointe’s funding, according to library officials.
MORE: Owners of popular clothing boutique open home decor store at Liberty Center
Officials said in 2015 that without a levy renewal, library hours and staffing would be reduced, new material and technology budgets would be cut, programming would be eliminated, and facility growth would be halted.
The library inked a rent-free lease agreement for three years minimum, with opportunities for renewal, according to documents obtained by this news outlet through a public records request.
Having a branch in Liberty Twp. also means that its residents will no longer have to drive to other locations to return materials, Bautz added.
MORE: It’s official: Indoor skydiving is coming to Liberty Center
Like Liberty Twp., the MidPointe Library system has experienced much growth in the past few years.
“In addition to locations in Middletown and West Chester, we’ve added a branch in Monroe, built a new, larger building in Trenton and restored our ‘Library On Wheels,’ formerly known as the Bookmobile, for underserved locations in our service area,” Bautz said.
The library director said that visits by MidPointe’s Library On Wheels Bookmobile to Liberty Twp. will continue as scheduled.
Bautz and Allison Knight, the new branch’s manager, said they appreciate that Liberty Center and the Cincinnati Children’s Discovery Center have partnered with MidPointe since 2015 to present weekly storytimes for children.
“Now we can look forward to being a full-time neighbor to our Discovery Center friends and other establishments in Liberty Center,” Knight said. “Our staff is especially excited about expanding our popular educational and entertainment programming for all ages.”
The new branch will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It will be closed on Monday.
About the Author
