HOWLAND, Ohio – Early next year, Howland Library will have expanded and refurbished spaces designed to better serve modern library users.
However, the library will have to close temporarily for the project.
“Howland loves their library,” said Kim Garrett, executive director of Warren-Trumbull County Public Library. “[It’s] a very well-loved space, so we’re excited to accommodate that.”
An official groundbreaking was held Thursday at the library on East Market Street near the corner where a new 700-square-foot children’s programming area will be built.
The $2.2 million library project will include expanding the children’s area, creating a dedicated teen area, adding private study space, expanding collaborative spaces, adding another public restroom and reconfiguring the staff’s workspace.
Other improvements will include lowered shelving for better site lines; an expanded foyer; movable, flexible seating options; laptop bars; a coffee bar; gaming consoles for teens; and a new mural in the children’s area.
“It is a compilation of a variety of elements you might see in a national park,” architect Andrew Bednar of Baker Bednar Snyder & Associates said of the new mural. “So it is not one image, but a compilation of a series of images.”
Eric Callahan, Howland Library branch manager, said the library has the most foot traffic of any branch in the library system except for the Warren Library. Garrett said the attendance for children’s programming at Howland rivals Warren’s.
The opposite end of the library from the children’s area, currently a more wide open space, will have a better flow after the project, Callahan said.
“We’re really trying to use the entire side of this building effectively, with the different reasons people come,” he said.
There will be an area for teens to gather, a tutoring zone and a quiet space behind the book stacks, he said.
Garrett credited Bednar and his design team with maintaining the architectural integrity of the library while adding whimsy and modern flair. The new design will better capitalize on the windows in the library, allowing in more light, Garrett added.
James Duff, a member of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library Board of Trustees, said he remembers when the Howland Library opened in 1998.
“I was working with Cortland Bank at the time,” Duff said. “We provided the construction financing for this building, this property back in 1998, approximately $2 million. So to build this property initially and with this renovation project now $2.2 million, that represents a total of over $4 million invested in the community of Howland. … So that’s being a pretty good community member.”
Garrett credited Rob Chismar, facility manager, with coming up with a 15- to 20-year master facilities plan so the library system can save and prepare for upcoming renovations and needs. The project is also addressing some critical infrastructure issues, including installing a new roof, upgrading drainage systems, improving water management, repairing minor foundational cracks and replacing PVC piping in the HVAC system.
“[We are] happy we did not have to go to the voters,” Garrett said, crediting Chismar and the fiscal responsibility of the library system through the years.
The library will close Sept. 8, with an anticipated reopening in late March 2027.
While it is closed, patrons can visit the bookmobile or one of the other Warren-Trumbull County Public Library locations. Garrett said the bookmobile will make two weekly in Richard E. Orwig Park and at the Medici Museum of Art. Patrons can place holds on books and other library materials and pick them up from the bookmobile or other library branches, including the Cortland, Warren and Eastwood Mall branches.
A return bin will be available at the Howland Library during the closure.
Business partners in the project include Baker Bednar Snyder & Associates; Corrigan Moving Systems; Library Design Associates Inc.; and United Contractors Inc.
Pictured at top: From left are Melissa Lattanzi, James Duff and Karen Scher, members of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library Board of Trustees; Andrew R. Bednar, director of design at Baker Bednar Snyder & Associates; Kim Garrett, executive director of Warren-Trumbull County Public Library; and Eric Callahan, Howland Library branch manager.