Celebrating One Year Since Reopening the Main Library 

Written by Mackenzie Manley, Content Specialist, Downtown Main Library 

The Downtown Main Library’s one-year reopening anniversary is approaching! Ahead of the celebration on July 12-13 (more on that later), we asked staff to wax nostalgic about their favorite Main Branch memories.  

The renovated branch sprawls across 540,000 square feet of books, movies, and music with meeting rooms, interactive areas for kids and teens, the Catherine C. and Thomas E. Huenefeld Story Center, social stairs, outdoor plazas, and more, which were all a part of Building the Next Generation Library.  

Of course, the Library’s history downtown runs deep, with roots going back to the 1870s. The Library opened the country’s first post-war main library building at the corner of Eighth and Vine streets in 1955. That building, which saw additions and renovations in the 1980s, ‘90s, and ‘00s, remains the cornerstone of today’s present Downtown Main Library complex.  

Meet Me at Main 1 Year Anniversary 

Celebrate the Downtown Main Library’s one-year reopening anniversary with two days of family-friendly fun! Explore the Library’s renovated building while enjoying activities throughout Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, July 13. From crafts to performances to live music and food trucks, we can’t wait to celebrate with you! View the lineup at chpl.org/main.  

Main Memories  

In the century plus that the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) has had a Main Branch, you’ve browsed its stacks, learned local history, heard bestselling authors, cozied up with a book, made crafts, taken classes, found resources, surfed the internet, flexed your creativity, connected with community members, and the list goes on.  

We asked the Library’s staff to share some of their favorite moments at the Main Library — here’s what they said:  

Christine, library customer specialist, reflects on when beloved PBS icon, Bill Nye the Science Guy, visited the Main Library in 2015 to promote his book, Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World:

“It was standing room only and I was way off to the side of the stage in the old POP library space so it wasn't the best view (really, I had no view of the stage). However, it ended up being an awesome place to stand because Bill Nye had to walk through the crowd to get to the stage and went right past me, so I got a high-five!”

For Keith, a library customer advisor, it was when the Main Library turned into a movie set:

“I was lucky enough to be working at Main during the filming of Emilio Estevez' film, The Public  (I even make a brief appearance in the film as an extra at the 51-minute mark!). Being on a live movie set was fascinating, but one moment in particular stands out. It was my job to be the Reference Rover: walking the second floor and helping customers in need of directions or research help. I saw a man outside the main elevators with a stern look on his face, muttering to himself. Without thinking, I jumped into customer service mode. I asked if I could help him find anything. He startled, looked at me with a stern expression, and shook his head, ‘no.’ Only when the elevator doors opened to reveal Alec Baldwin did I realize, this man wasn't a customer looking for the nearest bathroom. It was Jeffrey Wright, practicing his lines for the scene he was about to shoot.”

Amanda, a youth librarian, also named an author visit as her favorite Main Library memory:

“John Green came to the Main Library in October 2012 to do a reading and book signing! I was a freshman in college at Miami University at the time, so a few friends and I drove an hour down to Cincinnati to see him. It was my first time visiting the Main Library, and I was blown away by its size and how many floors there were! From where I was sitting, I could see all three floors, the stacks, and the skylights directly above me. Such an amazing space to wait in a long line for a book signing! I wanted to get my copy of Paper Towns signed, and I was so nervous when I got to the front of the line that I tried to make a joke, and he was nervous and he tried to joke back, but since he was distracted, he messed up signing my name and had to scribble it out and start over, so in addition to his signature I have a John Green scribble and I will treasure it forever.” 

And for Alder, youth librarian, it was day-to-day work in the Children’s Learning Center:

“I've worked at Main in three different departments, but my favorite was the Children's Learning Center. I especially loved when we would put together an extravaganza, like our Harry Potter parties (complete with making a light-up, life-size unicorn, wand-making, and an obstacle course in the Children's Reading Garden) or Comic Fest. I'll be honest, though, convincing Mr. Bob to read the newest funny picture book aloud in the staff room has to be a close second.” 

Just like Alder, Mr. Bob — a now retired children’s and outreach librarian — is part of Library Customer Advisor Sasha’s fond memories at Main:

“I grew up at Main as both of my parents worked down there, and my mom still does. As a small child, I can recall storytimes with Mr. Bob in the Children's Learning Center. It seems a lot bigger in my small-child memory than it realistically is, but it's fun to think of it that way. The Main Library is a big part of my library journey.” 

Sasha’s mom, Becky, service & hospitality coordinator, also shared their family’s time at the Library:

“As a teen, I hung out at the Main Library many afternoons after school. As an adult, I have worked at Main for 22 out of my 35 years with CHPL. I have many, many fond memories but some of my favorites are bringing my girls to Family Storytime in the Children's Learning Center on Saturday mornings starting when they were just teeny-weeny babies until my oldest was probably 7 or 8. They are 24 and 20 now.”

Sometimes, the best memory is getting lost in a good book. That’s the case for Jill, youth librarian:

“In the ‘90s, way before I started working for the library, I was visiting one evening and found a little novella called I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman. I sat down in a chair on the second floor intending to read a little bit of it, and I read the whole thing in one sitting.  Still one of my favorite books, and a great memory of getting completely lost in a book at Main.”

What’s your favorite memory of the Main Library?