EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was written in response to a reader-submitted question through Open Source, a platform where readers can ask Ashland Source’s newsroom to investigate a question.
ASHLAND — A number of readers recently asked us to look into the Ashland Public Library. They had questions like: How is it funded? Who is in charge of it? How is the school board involved? What is the history of it?
The Ashland Public Library was founded in 1892 as a library association. Then, in 1923, it was changed to a school district library, Ashland Public Library Director Heather Miller said.
According to the Ohio Revised Code, school district libraries are controlled and managed by a library board of trustees who are appointed to their positions by the district’s school board. There are seven library board members who each serve seven-year terms. They are not paid for their positions.
The Ashland Public Library also employs two administrators: a director and a fiscal officer.
Amy Daubenspeck, who serves as vice-president of the library board of trustees, was offered her position after the previous library director recommended her, she said.
The library is funded through a combination of state funds, local levies, and donations.
Every month, the state, via its public library fund, provides funding for public libraries throughout the state. For some public libraries, that is their only source of funding.
At the local level, the Ashland Public Library receives funding from a one mill tax on properties in Ashland. The library also receives volunteers and donations from Friends of the Ashland Public Library, a non-profit founded in 1977 that has raised more than $200,000 for the library over its lifetime.
As for the books, they come mostly through orders that the library places and a small amount of them come via donations, Miller said.
According to the library’s collection and development policy, qualified staff members follow a criteria to choose which books to procure. Some of these criteria are:
- Relevance to the library’s vision, mission, goals and to the interests and needs of the Community
- Current, educational or historical significance of the author or subject
- Relevance to the existing collection’s strengths and weaknesses and other media in the same subject field
The ultimate responsibility for selection and development of the library’s collection of books falls to the library director, according to the policy.
The library’s various policies can be found on its website here.
