This is one of the most hands on library I have been to in a long time. My kids loved the…read moreactivities of making a snowflake, and a scavenger hunt around the kids section. Cindy the librarian was wonderful at explaining things and telling us about all the fun activities they do for all ages. They have an email that tells you what is going on, so you don't miss anything. We are excited to try story time on a Thursday.

VERY CUTE little library!…read more It's not too small, so it has plenty of options. It's not too big so it's not too difficult to navigate. I love that the computer usage is free and the printing is cheap! Definitely makes printing accessable to all community members. I appreciate their return policy, it's not too stringent and really allows patrons to be responsible for their own returns in a timely manner. The staff are so friendly and helpful! Every time I visit the associates are always smiling and welcoming. They even taught me about the Hoopla & Libby apps!!! Will DEFINITELY be back to visit very soon!

I served on the board of Upper Arlington's Historical Society and found it to be a very enriching…read moreexperience, In a nutshell, Upper Arlington Historical Society preserves, promotes and celebrates the community's history. It was established in 1976 as a nonprofit volunteer organization that collects archival materials, shares historical information, conducts educational programs, sponsors commemorative activities, promotes historic preservation, and serves as a community resource. The goal is to promote and share Upper Arlington history with residents, students and community groups through a variety of school programs, walking tours, home tours, continuing education programs, exhibitions, and other special events. The society also makes the effort to honor, celebrate and memorialize important people, places and events in the neighborhood's history through our annual Wall of Honor program, which you can view at the Municipal Building on the corner of Kenny and Tremont Roads. It is literally a wall embedded with plaques. The Historical Society also works with residents and organizations to collect artifacts, record oral and written histories and document important events in the community, so they can be catalogued and preserved in the archives. My role was to manage these collections. A certain part of Arlington, south of Lane Avenue was designed by Pitkin, an architect known throughout the Midwest for his "Country Club" neighborhood designs. The UA Historical Society works diligently to help preserve this historic district's place on the National Register of Historic Places. Board members work together and with community organizations to produce publications like the Society's newsletter and web site, coordinate special events to promote awareness, develop fund-raising activities and generate additional financial support for the programs and activities.

If I could, I'd live in a library. There's just so much potential there. But the Hilltop Branch of…read morethe Columbus Metropolitan Library is so sad. It's a beautiful building outside and in. The outside has a simple architectural design but shoddy landscaping. The inside has tall, peaked ceilings; tall, thick display shelves; and an old-time check-out counter with spiraled wooden rails. The sad thing about this library is that there are hardly any books. I walked down aisle upon aisle of half-stocked or one-third stocked shelves. I even saw entirely empty shelves, lots of them. The books that are there outdated or plain out boring. The multi-media check-out section barely exists. It broke my heart to be in this place. I went around 5p, when a bunch of bustling low-income kids were hanging out. All of them were waiting to sit at one of the many computer terminals. I'm glad Hilltop has lots of computer stations, but I don't want the library to become a place to go just for free internet service. I did see a large room where homework help was happening. There were a few tutors milling around but only about two students, one of them middle-aged. The staff was friendly enough. There was a security guard at the front basically making sure the kids walked instead of ran. There were plenty of people behind the counters. No one bugged me while I looked around. At check-out, the woman who was manning my line was curt a bit impatient with the semi-annoying family in front of me. I could tell she'd had a long day, and this place is probably a bit disheartening to work at, so I can't hold it against her. The staff was doing its best, but they don't have a lot to work with. The surrounding neighborhood is rundown. The fact that there was a guard on duty and that the multi-media reserves are held behind the counter alerted me that the Hilltop branch has seen its share of trouble. Hopefully the city library system can put more effort into the Hilltop branch. The residents there were definitely using the facility. The place was packed, especially with kids. But there wasn't a whole lot to take home.

The Hilltop branch has been undergoing a few renovations within the last few months! I am a bit…read morebiased, as I don't know how I ever lived without a library within walking-distance from my house, but I've yet to be disappointed by this branch. Many of the reasons why this library is so great stem from our great library system as a whole; making any request online and having materials shipped to the location of your choice, a diverse selection of materials, and friendly and helpful staff. This branch does not have enough computers to meet the needs of the visitors. As mentioned in a previous review, this has more to do with the lack of internet access for many patrons than it does for the library itself. I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a computer though, as I don't have a printer at home and sometimes use the library for its (fantastic) 10 cent printing. I don't have kids, so I don't know much about the offerings for anyone under the age of 18. It does appear that they have a really nice kids area, as well as community rooms for after school homework assistance. There are many stacks of books and a HUGE selection of audiobooks to peruse at any given time. They lose some points for their miniscule selection of music, but they make up for that with a bigger selection of movies and a whole wall of 'new' books. To be honest, it's easier to just order anything that you want online and pick it up when it arrives. This library is teeming with life. If you can't handle the youths loitering in the parking lot, or the snarky adolescents using the computers , then perhaps a drive to the downtown location would serve you better.

The library, which underwent a massive renovation in 2010-2011, is located in Columbus Hall, just…read morebehind and to the right of the Christopher Columbus Statue. There is a large patio area leading to the first floor entrance, though the only seating is the concrete picnic tables. The first floor of the library has the circulation desk, where you can check out laptops, textbooks for two hours, study rooms, or get help ordering books and checking your library account. There are study tables, quick print stations, the writing center, IT support, a small computer lab, the multimedia lab, and the TV studio also all on the first floor. The second floor has a large computer lab with just under a hundred computers, reference librarians and materials, and some open study tables. The third floor is the quiet study floor, with a silent room and individual tables, sofas and armchairs, magazines and periodicals, and a classroom. There are some overhead directional signs for the main desks, although the smaller labs and rooms are not always clearly labeled. The library gets very crowded during midterms and finals, and is really too small for the present student population. The open study areas can also become quite noisy. The quality of the staff can vary; there also seems to be quite a lot of technological challenges regarding printing, speed of computers, getting connected to the wifi, and using the laptops that are available for check-out. They do have a fairly large two-hour textbook reserve collection, which is great if you have an intro or GE class and haven't bought your textbooks yet. The group study rooms are also useful, since they have outlets and large whiteboards, but they can be crowded during peak times and you may have to put your name on a waiting list. All in all, the library has potential, but does need some improvement.

Nice little library. Could add on and make it bigger of course but it's nice. I went for just two…read moresemesters but used the library often. I would give it 5 stars but I guess it could be bigger. It's not that small but I suppose it could get cramped. Didn't find it so when I went. Everyone there was friendly, even when getting full, all there to learn / get a degree. There is always an empty classrooms one could study in if wanting more space, during peak seasons.

Great library with several different floors for studying. The staff is always very friendly and…read morealways willing to help. The medical visuals team is great for printing posters if you are attending a conference, or for awesome prices on medical illustrations. Love this library!

I don't like libraries because I don't like being surrounded by stressed people. It just makes me…read morestressed, which is not good. But on days that I'm forced to be at school and it's snowing outside and I don't want to bike to Mission or home, I find myself here. It's actually a great, decent library! I mean, I'm glad i have it and it does everything I want it to do, like having outlets everywhere and having coffee downstairs and having a "serious studying 3rd floor (that I never go to) and a "whee let's pretend study" on the first floor and "causal studying" on the 4th. Mostly inhabited by medical and dental students and your neighborhood undergrads when exam season comes. Oh and if you aren't OSU affiliated, don't even think about coming by! #justkidding But in all reality there is no parking so you wouldn't be here unless you had to be on campus anyways.

Those of a certain age may recall the Lazarus department store, which began back in the mid-1800s…read morebefore its eventual merger with Macy's, ending the Lazarus name, which now lingers in regard to this historic building downtown. This particular location closed in the early 2000s, was renovated and restored, then rented out to a variety of tenants, including offices, arts organizations, restaurants, and retail spaces. Its history is now reflected through a nice display, "Lazarus Remembered: A Familiar Friend"/"Lazarus Recycled: Looking to the Future" that is easily accessible to the public. Another fabulous feature is the gorgeous annual holiday display. A huge decorated tree takes center stage in the galeria (access from Town Street side) with a variety of festive decorations. Many of the tenants get in on the celebration, with this year's windows display at the OSU Urban Art Space celebrating Lazarus. The Center for Architecture and Design decorates their windows with their annual "The Orange Line" display, which features a cityscape and holiday train. It's fascinating to see what the architects and designers come up with! The displays are featured on both the High Street and Town Street sides of this massive building, so it's worth a little bit of walking to take it all in. Metered street parking is available nearby.

I came to the Lazarus Company to experience a piece of Colombus history. I was pleasantly surprised…read moreto see a row of plaques dedicated to the building's history. This used to be an important and fancy department store in the center of the city. However, there is no museum or official tour. And unfortunately I found that during the weekend and in the evenings everything is pretty much shut down, so I didn't even have a chance to explore inside.

This is a nice library location within the Fairfield County District Library system. Though it is…read morenot a large building, they make very good use of space inside. It's cute, clean, and nicely decorated. There are a couple of stacks with books and DVDs, a small computer area, and nice seating. The back portion of the building is an Early Literacy Center for ages 6 and under and their supervising adults. It has a very nice set up with toys, imaginative play items, tables with coloring sheets and crayons, and, of course, books. It's also nice that they offer a sink with a stool available right in this section. The staff is friendly, and there is a parking lot. The outside of the building has a nice looking garden/habitat area, which is probably even nicer during warmer weather. We did, however, get a good eyeful of nature when a hawk grabbed its lunch and settled in to devour it. They are closed Sundays and have limited Saturday hours (10-2).

The Northwest Library is one of the five locations at the Fairfield County District Library. The…read morebuilding is perfect for kids as it has a large Early Literacy Center perfect for kids. They hold 3 family storytimes every week and monthly programs. While most of their programs are for families they also have a homeschool program. The crown jewel is the Peter Rabbit Story Garden complete with gold fish. Kids just love to go check on the fish at each visit. They are closed on Mondays but they take that day to clean and disinfect toys.

Took a tour of this with the Columbus Historical Society. I've been driving by for decades,…read moreinterested in it, so when they had an event I signed right up. It's currently the Columbus Firefighters Union hall, and they, and previous tenants, have not just kept it in great shape but made it shine, and added an event space off to one side. Preserved history but kept it useful. The outside is beautiful, and the historic portions inside are impressive. It started as a train station, and tracks still run alongside it on an elevated platform added 15 years or so after it was originally built. So you get the feel of rail transport, and can see much of the original infrastructure (or well-done updates.) Parking is on the street (the firefighters have a small private parking area.) The tour and lecture by CHS were great. The event space is elegant, and would be good for a party, maybe even a wedding. I'm glad this has been preserved and yet is still being used. The design is unique (though there were several similar structures in town that have since been knocked down.) There is a historical marker out front for the station and, on the back, the architecturally similar hotel that was once next door.

A unique if not weird building of interest for architecture and history lovers this building on…read moreBroad Street is striking in orginality. Built to be a station for the old Toledo and Ohio Central Rail, it was designed by Frank Packard and Joseph Yost, designers who have birthed many notable buildings in Columbus and Ohio State. Built in 1895, the structure is noticable for its pagoda tower, a Japanese front adorned by Art Nouveau stylings. Its off-beat front sticks out between COSI and the railroad which today is risen. The pagoda didn't always clash so with the background, in fact it was kin with that of the Macklin Hotel. The Macklin once sat to the west of the station in the days the railroad was on the ground. It was pure Japanese in design and featured a couple pagodas that matched T&OCRS. The two had a cenergy, one for travel and the other provided logging. Of course the railroad does not transport people today, although it still opperates as freight. Today the Macklin is long gone and Station is owned by the city having been a Volunteers of America in the 1970s. The inside is not original having been redone after a fire in 1975. Yet it features a vaulted room with plaster cherubim ornaments, and light fixture arching over much like the High Street arches. I really wish the city could do something cool with the building, but it is worth a stop-see and get a feel of unique architecture, an artistry little tried today.