CANTON − Stark Library employees recently moved to the new Operations Center in downtown Canton. The new 30,000-square-foot building − which is not open to the public − is the library system's new hub for its backend services. The building was designed for each department's specific needs and is located across the street of the site of the future new Main Library. The Operations Center serves all 10 library locations. Construction of the new center and new Main Library will cost about $66 million altogether, paid for with the library's capital fund and borrowing from the state's Public Library Fund.
New Stark Library operations building
Megan Villono, library collections director, explained the function of library departments working at the Operations Center. "I always think about the life cycle of the book. We're ordering, we're receiving, we're moving it around the system and bringing it to patrons," she said. "Our end goal is to get the materials to patrons and support our locations." Mary Ellen Icaza, Stark Library CEO and executive director, said the space is a huge upgrade for staff. "This space, Megan's staff designed it specifically for their workflow," she said. About 50 people will work out of the building, including technical services, mobile services, central inventory and the facilities department. The building is equipped to support the library locations.
The "life cycle of the book" begins with ordering. When books arrive, library staff sort and catalogue. Then, books are loaded into vans and trucks and brought across the library system. The building also has a large space for central inventory, which houses additional library materials that are moving around the system. On average, about 5,000 materials are transported around the system per month, Villono said. This is especially important for the smaller branch libraries that can't accommodate as many materials. As library patrons request books or other materials, they can be transported from central inventory. Other things stored at the Operations Center include materials for public programs. "Storage is a big deal at this location," Icaza said. "Our branches are mostly entirely dedicated to public service and public use, so we have a big storage room in here. All of our supplies are there."
The Operations Center also has a massive new garage for the library's bookmobiles with garage doors on either side. With the new setup, the vehicles can drive straight through without having to maneuver or back up. The mobile services department, located next to the bookmobile garage, is stocked with books to go out into the community. The collection is mostly children's books, since the bookmobile often visits Stark County schools and daycares. The bookmobile also does community stops nearly every day, prioritizing areas that are farther from the branch locations.
Stark Library staff moving into new space
Employees at the Operations Center began moving in in December. Staff was fully moved in at the beginning of January. "Everybody is settling in, it's going really well," Villono said. Many of the departments housed at the Operations Center were previously crammed into the Main Library in Canton. That meant that departments weren't working the most efficiently. Technical Services Manager Kim Campbell said the move is already beneficial for staff. "We're out of the basement," she said. "The space is really bright and open. It helps the staff keep going through the day." When technical services worked out of the Main Library basement, materials had to be moved up and down levels as needed. Now, their office is conveniently located near the mail room and garage, so books can more easily be moved for processing and cataloguing as they arrive and seamlessly sent out for delivery across the library system once they're sorted.
Demolition of Main Library beginning soon
Icaza said demolition of the Main Library in Canton is beginning within the next few weeks. The building is being torn down to make room for a brand new Main Library, which is expected to be complete in 2028. The Main Library is operating out of the former Nationwide building at 1020 Market Ave. N during demolition and construction. "Each step has been a big milestone for us," Icaza said.
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Grace Springer
Canton Repository