About

The Grandview Heights Public Library (GHPL) is an award-winning, independent suburban library system known for progressive leadership and friendly, personalized service.

We are located at 1685 West First Avenue, Columbus, OH 43212 (map).

GHPL card

  • Any resident of the State of Ohio may register for a card free of charge.
  • Apply online or in person at any service desk at the library.
  • Physical cards will only be issued in person.
    • Visit the library and show a form of identification to verify your address and Ohio residency. A state-issued photo ID or driver’s license with current address is best.
    • For minors (anyone under 18 years old), applications must be filled out by a parent or guardian in person.
  • Each account has a 4-digit PIN (Personal Identification Number) which is assigned by the patron. If you have not entered a PIN in your registration form, the system will automatically assign the last four digits of your phone number.
    • Your PIN increases the security of your card and is private.
    • If you forget your PIN, select the “Forgot Your PIN?” feature at My Account. It will be emailed to the email address registered to your account.
    • Staff will not be able to access it, only reset it. If staff resets it, please choose another PIN for your protection the next time you log in to your account.
  • A GHPL card gives you access to 67 million items from the 17 Central Ohio member libraries of the Central Library Consortium (CLC) and from statewide networks SearchOhio and OhioLINK.
    • GHPL cards can be used at most CLC member libraries.
    • Most items can be returned to any CLC member library.
    • Browse and reserve items at My Account.
    • Access E-books/Digtial Media on our website.
    • Use public computers in Reference on the second level of the library.

Loan periods

Loan periods for materials borrowed from GHPL (excluding Digital Collections) are 7 days or 21 days.

Most items automatically renew when due, up to the maximum number of renewals, unless requested by other patrons.

VARY

7 DAYS

  • DVDs/Blu-rays
  • “Hot Picks” Books
  • Magazines
  • Video Games

21 DAYS

  • Audiobooks
  • Books (excluding “Hot Picks” books)
  • CDs
  • Nontraditional Lending Items

Nontraditional Lending Items

Loan limits

  • For the first 30 days, 10 items may be borrowed out at any one time and certain collections will be limited.
  • After 30 days, if your card is in good standing (you have less than ten overdue items and owe less than $10), 100 items total may be borrowed at one time. Maximum limits on specific items:
    • Books – unlimited (up to 100 items total)
    • CDs – 40
    • DVDs/Blu-ray – 20
    • Video games – 2
    • Vinyl records – 5
    • Nontraditional items – vary
  • We reserve the right to limit certain collection areas, if needed.
  • SearchOhio and OhioLINK items vary.

Renewing items
For your convenience, most items automatically renew when due, up to the maximum number of renewals, unless requested by other patrons. If your account is not already set up for email notices, select email notifications at My Account to receive them.

  • My Account.
  • Automated phone renewal: 877-77-BOOKS (877-772-6657)
  • Call the library at 614-486-2951 with any questions.

Returning items

  • Vinyl albums and all nontraditional items must be returned to GHPL only. All other items may be returned to GHPL or any CLC member library.
  • Outdoor book drops are available for items except nontraditional items, which must be returned to a library desk.
    • If book drops are full or jammed, do not force material into the slot or leave items outside on the ground; you will be responsible financially for left items that have been stolen. Contact the library regarding book drop issues.

Reserving items
Log in to My Account or visit the library for assistance. You can have up to 75 holds on your list at a time.

Suspended Holds
Holds may be suspended only if the status says “Requested”. Once an item status is listed as “Held”, it cannot be suspended. There are two ways to suspend your holds:

  • Log in to My Account. Select the “Requests” tab, and select the items you wish to suspend. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select “Suspend/Reactivate Selected”. In the “New Activation Date” box, enter the earliest date you want your hold to be reactivated.
  • Call the library at 614-486-2951 and request to have your holds suspended until a specific date.
  • NOTE: If the status says “Held” and you are unable to pick it up by the “held until” date, call the library 614-486-2951. We can check the item out to you and put it back on the hold shelf.

Overdue items & fines

  • There are no daily incremental fines for overdue items borrowed at GHPL.
  • A patron account may have only 9 overdue items at a time.
  • The library blocks a patron account that has $10.00 on the account and/or an item that is 21 days overdue or 10 overdue items.
  • Items 35 days overdue are marked lost, and a bill for the replacement cost and processing fee is mailed.
  • The library does not offer refunds for lost items that have been paid for and then returned later.
  • Payment may be made over the phone by calling the library at 614-486-2951. Online payment is not available.

Past Due Accounts
Past due accounts owing $25 or more may be sent to a collection agency.

Lost/Replacement cards
Report a lost or stolen card immediately, since you are financially responsible for all items checked out on your card until they are checked in. Visit the library for a replacement card.

Homebound Delivery
Do you know someone in the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff area who is homebound – even on a temporary basis, such as an illness – who would like to have library materials delivered to his or her home?

  • GHPL Volunteers deliver books, large print books, audiobooks, and some DVDs to area homebound residents on Thursday mornings.
  • The homebound patron may select titles, or have library staff choose for them.
  • For more information, contact library at 614-486-2951 or homebound@ghpl.org.

DVD/CD disc cleaning tips
If a GHPL disc severely damaged, contact the library at 614-486-2951 or let a staff person know when you visit the library.

GHPL is an independent suburban library system.

However, it is part of the Central Library Consortium (CLC):

  • 18 Central Ohio library systems sharing materials, resources, and expenses.
  • 67 million items available to member library cardholders through a partnership among:
    • CLC: 5.5M items from 17 Central Ohio public library systems.
    • SearchOhio: 16M items from 42 public library systems statewide.
    • OhioLINK: 46M items from 120 academic library systems statewide.
  • Founded in 1988 and funded by a LSTA grant written in part by GHPL.
  • GHPL is a founding member of the CLC and current Administering Library for the CLC.
  • Among the first in Ohio to institute daily delivery among the members, to share materials, and to cooperatively license databases.

18 CLC member libraries:

GHPL introduced an electric-powered, mobile library in 2015, funded with private money by the GHPL Foundation.

The GHPL PopUp Library is a low-speed, electric vehicle specially customized to transport and display library materials. Visitors can browse and check out a selection of materials, get a library card, and learn more about library resources and services from staff.

The PopUp Library keeps a regular schedule of visits throughout Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff, including: outreach, school visits, park and pool visits, and local special events like the Grandview Hop, Tour De Grandview, and the Memorial Day Parade.

The selection of popular materials for kids and adults changes according to the theme of each visit.

A GHPL staff team created the vehicle concept and worked to create a graphic design with Mike Dexter, a Grandview resident and GHPL volunteer who has designed logos for the City of Grandview Heights, The Grandview Area Chamber, and more.

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Library Journal article

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On January 11, 1923, the Grandview Heights Board of Education approved a plan for the establishment of a public library in Grandview Heights. In June 1924, the Grandview Heights Public Library opened its doors in a room in the Grandview Heights High School.

After moving to four different rented sites on First Avenue, the library moved to the present location, 1685 West First Avenue, in September, 1936. The building was built with WPA funds on land donated by George Cambridge Urlin, one of the founding fathers of Grandview Heights.

In addition to the High School branch, various branches have been added over the years: one in Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School in 1926, an Upper Arlington branch at Miller Park in 1942, and the Tremont Library in the 1950s. In the 1970s, the Upper Arlington Public Library became an independent system, which included the Miller Park branch and the Tremont Library.

The library now has one building and does not include the libraries in the Grandview Schools. It is a founding member and Administering Library of the Central Library Consortium (CLC), a sharing of resources & expenses among 17 Central Ohio library systems cofounded by GHPL in 1988.

Major renovations & projects

  • 2024: East Lawn Pavilion and Site Improvements
  • 2020: Drive-Thru Pickup introduced
  • 2019: Fiction department updated
  • 2018: Youth Services department updated
  • 2017: GHPL Mobile Exhibits introduced
  • 2015: GHPL PopUp Library introduced
  • 2014: Free WiFi offered in Grandview parks
  • 2013: Provided a Drive-Up Book Drop
  • 2012: Story Time Area added in Youth Services
  • 2011: Interactive Area added in Youth Services
  • 2011: Opened “The Basement” (area for 7-12 graders)
  • 2010: Opened The Study Commons
  • 2009: Parking Lot added across Oakland Avenue
  • 2009: Consolidation of Circulation and Audiovisual Departments
  • 2008: Audiovisual Remodeling
  • 1995: Youth Services Department Remodeling
  • 1989: Large Addition and Remodeling
  • 1980: Parking Lot Expansion
  • 1977: Balcony Addition
  • 1973: General Remodeling and Expansion
  • 1952: Children’s Department Addition
  • 1941: Reference Room Addition

Directors

  • Ryan McDonnell, 2013-Present
  • Mary Ludlum, 2008-2013
  • Carol Pelz, 1985-2008
  • Carol Haenicke, 1984-85
  • Kathryn Hannon, 1967-84
  • William Bacon, 1960-67
  • Josephine Swinehart, 1928-60
  • Bonnie Elliot, 1927-28
  • Mildred Sandoe, 1924-27
  • Helen Kramer, 1924

Notice of Request for Qualifications for Design Professional Services

The Grandview Heights Public Library requests qualifications from design professionals (architects, engineers, landscape architects, and surveyors) to update a file of prequalified firms to provide services as needed, where the estimated fee is less than $50,000. Statements of Qualifications will be accepted at the Grandview Heights Public Library, attn: Denise Shedloski, Director of Support Services, 1685 W First Ave, Columbus, OH 43212, or emailed to  dshedloski@ghpl.org, on an ongoing basis with no deadline.    

Grandview Heights Public Library (GHPL)

17,543 Registered Borrowers 
458,881 Total Items Borrowed (Physical & Digital)
11,339 Reference Transactions
854 New Library Cards Issued
378 Events (In-Person & Online)
13,131 Event Attendees
170 Notarized Documents
6,847 Library Computer Sessions
45,123 WiFi Sessions

Central Library Consortium (CLC)
GHPL is a founding member (1988) and Administering Library of the CLC, a cooperative among 17 Central Ohio library systems.

1.3 million Card holders in Central Ohio
67 million Total Items: CLC member libraries (5.5M) with a partnership among statewide networks SearchOhio (16M) and OhioLINK (46M)
26 million Annual Items Circulated
2.1 million Annual Item Requests
1 million Unique Titles

Return on Investment

GHPL

$9,682,159 Direct economic value of GHPL services
$3.34 for every $1 Return on Investment (ROI) of GHPL services
$4.28 for every $1 Return on Investment (ROI) of GHPL services, when economic multiplier effects are included

 
Ohio public libraries

$2.7 billion Direct economic value of Ohio’s public libraries to Ohio residents in 2014
$3.89 for every $1 Return on Investment (ROI) from Ohio’s public libraries
1st in the nation Library Transactions Per Capita (20.3; more than 2x the national average)
1st in the nation Library Visits Per Capita (7.5 average yearly visits per person; 51% above the national average)
2nd in the nation Registered Borrowers (77.7%; 55% above the national average)
$2.88 One of the lowest Costs Per Library Transaction (41st nationally; 68 cents below the national average cost)
$5.48 for every $1 Return on Investment (ROI) from Ohio’s public libraries, when economic multiplier effects are included
88% Local tax requests by libraries approved by voters since 2010

—The Return on Investment of Ohio’s Public Libraries, Ohio Library Council (OLC)

Strategic Plan (PDF)

  • Alphonse P. Cincione, President
  • John E. Evans, Vice President
  • Teri A. Williams, Secretary
  • Amy Day
  • Betsy Gambone
  • Eugene R. King
  • Deborah Sisinger

The Grandview Heights Public Library Board of Trustees holds its regularly-scheduled public meetings on the third Tuesday of the month at 6 pm at the library.

Employment Application (fillable PDF)* are available online. Completed applications are kept on file for one year.

* If you have Adobe (free) on your computer:

  • Download the Employment Application to your desktop.
  • Complete application and save it by clicking on the printer icon.
  • Under “Destination,” click on “Save as PDF.”
  • Attach PDF file to email.

Current openings

The GHPL Policy Handbook provides the rules, standards, and principles that guide the operation and the use of the library. The GHPL Board of Trustees creates, reviews, and revises policies, and implements them with the assistance of library staff.