LORDSTOWN, Ohio – Warren-Trumbull County Public Library’s Lordstown branch, 1471 Salt Springs Road, will permanently close at 5 p.m. June 27.
Earlier this year, the library system’s board of directors began looking at the viability of all of its locations as part of its strategic planning process. The Lordstown Library’s circulation and visitor numbers have drastically dropped over the past several years, and current usage is a quarter of what it was in 2011, a news release announcing the closure states.
“The library board regularly reviews library usage to ensure that we are utilizing the funds we are entrusted with in a fiscally responsible way,” said Jim Wilkins, W-TCPL executive director. “This was a difficult decision but one that we believe will allow us to best serve the entire Trumbull County community.”
Wilkins said the library system plans to continue to serve the Lordstown area through a new service model that may include Bookmobile stops in the village and other programming options that do not require a brick-and-mortar building.
“Although the library will no longer maintain a physical presence in Lordstown, we plan to continue providing library service for the Lordstown community,” he said.
The final day to return library materials to the Lordstown branch is June 27. After that date, any library materials must be returned to another W-TCPL location.
The two staff members who work at the Lordstown branch will be reassigned to other locations.
The Lordstown Library opened in 1985 in the village’s Administration Building. The present library building was constructed by the village in 1993, with the W-TCPL assuming control in 1995. The building remains under the ownership of the village.
Pictured at top: The Lordstown Library. (WTCPL.org)