Puskarich Public Library System
| Established | 1880 |
|---|---|
| Location | Cadiz, Ohio |
| Branches | 2 |
| Access and use | |
| Population served | 13,568 (Harrison Hills City School District) |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $510,000 |
| Director | Sandi Thompson |
| Staff | 16 |
| Website | http://go2library.com/ |
The Puskarich Public Library System (PPL) is a rural, public library serving Harrison County, Ohio. The library also houses the Harrison County History of Coal Museum .
The Puskarich Public Library System has two branch libraries: Clark Memorial Branch Library located in Freeport, Ohio, and the Scio Branch Library located in Scio, Ohio.
Overview
Currently, the Puskarich Public Library System consists of three service outlets. The main library is located in Cadiz and branch locations are in Freeport and Scio.
On March 6, 1880, in Cadiz, Ohio a meeting was held to establish a public library; and in April, an upstairs room in A. J. McDonald’s new building was rented on North Main Street. Nancy Dewey donated $1000.00 and an additional $1500.00 raised by public subscription. The library was opened to subscribers for the sum of $100 per year in the Fall of 1880.
In 1895, the library was moved to the Harrison County Courthouse. A few years after in 1910, the membership fee was eliminated and control was given to the Board of Education. Since December 1935, it has been designated as a school district library with its own governing Board. Following a nearly half million dollar fundraising campaign, the Cadiz Public Library was renamed the Puskarich Public Library when the new main library building was erected at Cadiz in 1986.
Homebound Library Service
Homebound Library Service is available to any resident who is unable to visit the library due to: visual disabilities, short or long term illness, or other physical challenges.
Adult Programs
Free adult programs of varying types are offered to the public every month. Several different computer classes are held on a rotating basis in the up-to-date computer lab.
Clark Memorial Branch Library
The Clark Memorial Branch Library is located at 102 W. Main Street, Freeport, OH 43973. This branch provides access, information, and services to the residents of Freeport, Tippecanoe, Deersville, Piedmont, Moorefield and surrounding areas. The following book clubs meet monthly: Lakeland Book Nuts Book Club for students in grades 1-3, Peanut Butter Jelly Book Club for students in grades 3-5, and Club Read a book discussion group for adults. Summer Reading programs as well as a variety of programs for teens, families, and adults are also provided.
The Clark Memorial Branch Library was established in 1990 and currently has 1,265 patrons. The Friends of the Clark Memorial Branch Library was also organized in 1990 and remains an active support group for the library.
Scio Branch Library
The Scio Branch Library is located at 331 W. Main Street in Scio, OH. The Scio Branch Library is one of the two Branch Libraries in the Puskarich Public Library System located in Harrison County in Ohio. They service a wide area including Scio, Jewett, Bowerston, rural Carrollton County and surrounding areas.
Ebooks
The Puskarich Public Library System offers eBooks in formats such as Adobe, PDF, HTML, Overdrive Music and Overdrive WMA Audiobooks. Some of the available collections include Juvenile/Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction, Biographies and Autobiographies, Audio Books, MP3 Audiobooks, and Music.
Local History & Genealogy
In the Genealogy & Local History Room at the Puskarich Public Library there are many volumes of Harrison County materials along with materials from the neighboring counties of Belmont, Jefferson, Tuscarawas, Gurnsey, and Carroll. They also have surname and local history files. The pictorial history of Southeastern Ohio can be seen on www.digitalshoebox.org.
Ohio Public Library Funding
The first financial support of public libraries in Ohio began in 1933 when libraries received revenue from the intangible personal property tax. The intangibles tax was levied on individuals’ holdings of stock and bonds. The revenue was collected in the county of origin and was distributed to libraries based on need.
In 1983, the Ohio General Assembly repealed the intangibles tax and replaced it with the Library and Local Government Support Fund or LLGSF. An amount of the personal income tax equaling 6.3% of Ohio’s personal income tax receipts were earmarked for the LLGSF. This funding was divided using an equalization formula so that underserved areas would receive a guaranteed share.
In 1993, the General Assembly passed legislation reducing the LLGSF from 6.3% to 5.7% of personal income tax. It remained at that level until the 2002-2003 biennium budget called for the funding to be frozen at the same level as July 2000 through June 2001. This was the beginning of a funding freeze which lasted through December 2007.
Beginning with January 2008 distributions, a new funding source was developed. This fund, named the Public Library Fund or PLF, is 2.22% of the state’s total general tax revenue.