Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
The Walbridge branch library celebrated its 38th anniversary on April 14 with a birthday party, which included a day of events for the community from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Kelsey Nevius, the branch’s communications and marketing specialist, said the community’s support has been phenomenal.
“You can just see the level of support in the decorations that you see around the library,” she said. “All those were donated by library patrons and library supporters, and that's just a true testament to how important this is for the community.”
With the Wood County District Public Library celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, Nevius said the Walbridge branch decided it would be a great idea to join in on the fun.
“Everybody loves to come together for a nice big party, and we really love to give back and really love to celebrate, especially these big milestones, like the 150th,” she said. “It's just a great way to get together, celebrate and bring in the togetherness that the library really tends to do.”
In December 1874, a group of prominent local men in Bowling Green began discussing the possibility of a local library. On Jan. 21, 1875, they officially established the Bowling Green Library Association, and it was a subscription-based entity with shares costing $5, which allowed citizens to borrow one book at a time.
Lucius Boughton was appointed the first librarian, and the library was located “in a building owned by him.” After the location changed frequently, business struggled, and in 1914, the women of the Shakespeare Round Table opened the first official library location in the back of the Exchange Bank on the northwest corner of Main and Wooster.
Grace Haylor served as the first librarian of that version, and it was called the Bowling Green Library with a collection of 1,200 books. It has since evolved into its modern-day version.
In Walbridge, an advocacy effort began in the 1960s for a library in the community, which evolved into a strong partnership between the village and the district library.
The first library, which opened on April 13, 1987, was built by the Village of Walbridge with a lease-purchase agreement with WCDPL. The 4,000 square foot facility was larger than the former Great Eastern library location in Northwood.
When opened, the new facility housed just over 10,000 books and other items. The library now houses over 22,000 items.
WCDPL’s legal service district includes all of Lake and Northwood school districts, and the Walbridge branch is their key location for providing service to all of northeastern Wood County.
“The amount that we've grown throughout the years in terms of cardholders or in terms of checkouts at the Walbridge Library is astronomical,” Nevius said. “The amount of community support that takes place here … people coming into the programs, people checking out materials, people using the public Wi-Fi. It doesn't matter which service they need or material they need, we're here to provide that. And it grows year after year after year after year.”
Nevius said there was a 10 percent growth in 2024 for checkouts in Walbridge.
After being renovated and rededicated on Aug. 14, 2007, the Walbridge library expanded nearly 10 years later and held a grand opening reception on March 3, 2017.
The project doubled the library’s size from 4,000 to 8,000 square feet with a new children’s space and a big emphasis on technology, which included a new 3D printer, better Wi-Fi, an expanded computer area and a monitor to show guests how to download e-books and apps.
“We offer so many different services,” Nevius said. “Not only do we offer books and magazines and free Wi-Fi and all those good things, but we offer a library of things including a lot of different programs for kids like our story time today and our partnership with the health department outside. It's all about bringing what the community needs, and that's a spectrum of programs, events, and materials.”
For more information on what the Walbridge library provides, visit wcdpl.org/walbridge-library.
