Library asking for continued support

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

The Brumback Library, which was dedicated in 1901, is recognized as the first countywide public library in the United States and nearly 125 years later, it continues to serve residents through its main location and its various branches.

Now, the Brumback Library is seeking voter approval of a continuing .5 mill replacement levy. The vast majority of county residents will decide on the issue. The reason for a replacement levy is the fact that the current .5 mill levy has depreciated to .2251 mills, which means less revenue. If approved, the replacement levy will reset back to the original amount so funding keeps pace with today’s needs, which have grown and evolved.

During Wednesday night’s Meet the Candidates event at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Brumback Library Trustee Dr. Bob Laing and Director Nellie Schmidt shared information about the library, its services and the need for funding.

Approximately 200 people visit the main branch each day and Laing said Brumback Library loans an average of 8,000 books per month between the main location in Van Wert and thriving branches in Convoy, Middle Point, Ohio City, Willshire and Wren. He added the library is part of the Libby program, an Ohio-based program for e-books, along with the SEO (Serving Every Ohioan) consortium, a state-based program that allows patrons to request and receive a physical copy of books within days, and interactive books geared toward children. Free public computers and wi-fi are available and he also noted the library has other digital resources, historic microfilm and a microfilm reader available for use, along with geneological resources.

“If someone is trying to research a family member, we’ve had people donate their own research that they’ve done as part of their estate, so our geneological resourcs are really vast,” he said.

Laing said the library’s summer reading program did something every day during the summer and offered 70 unique events this past summer.

Schmidt was chosen in January of 2024 to lead the Brumback Library and Laing had nothing but praise for the job she’s done since she came aboard.

“Through Nellie’s leadership we’re definitely listening more to what patrons want,” he stated. “We have patrons coming in and saying ‘do you have a book on this subject’ and once we have three or more people come in and they want something and we don’t have it, Nellie will make sure we get it. We’re starting to stock what the community wants and that’s important.”

“This position has been so fun to be a part of and I’ve enjoyed meeting so many people coming in and hearing their stories,” Schmidt said. “People who have been around for a long time talk about the Brumback’s spiral staircase that used to be there or the glass floor and it’s just amazing, the history of the way the library has been supported and maintained over the years.”

If approved, the replacement levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home approximately $15.76 annually and 53 cents per acre of farm ground per year. It would generate just over $450,000 annually. Voters have approved the levy four different times since 2005 and the average passage rate has been 74-26 percent.

The library receives 17 percent of its revenue from the local levy and 77 percent from the state’s public library fund. The remaining six percent comes from other funding sources, including donations and grants.