A Brief History of the Guernsey County District Public Library
What is now the Guernsey County District Public Library had its start in 1898 when Mrs. J.D. Taylor collected $1800.00 in $25.00 life memberships to buy books and furnish a room on Wheeling Ave. donated by the Honorable J.D. Taylor for a period of five years. In 1901, the 2 cents per day charge for non-members was dropped so that all residents of Cambridge could borrow materials.
The present downtown building opened in November 1904. Andrew Carnegie provided funds for construction. The City of Cambridge had to provide land, books and promise to set aside funds for operating expenses.
1936 was a big year for the Guernsey County Library. The Howard Finley collection was donated forming the nucleus of the present-day Finley Room collection. Also this year, the Byesville Branch Library opened in various rented rooms in Byesville.
The library was re-organized in 1948 as a county district library under new state statutes to become the Guernsey County District Public Library.
In 1958 Guernsey County purchased the first bookmobile in Ohio purchased for $12,900, $10,000 of which was federal funds. For ten years prior to that, the library used a second-hand wagon for county service. The second bookmobile was purchased in 1995 for $100,000, replacing the previous vehicle. The bookmobile was eliminated during the 2008 recession. The current bookmobile is a 2019 Sprinter van purchased in 2019 for $179,400.
In 1977 the Downtown Branch Library received $250,000 to remodel and enlarge the building. The second floor of the addition was finished in 1985.
As a result of another donation, the library was able to move the Byesville Branch Library to its own location on Glass Avenue in 1983. Byesville received its renovation in 2023.
In 2003, the Board the Trustees purchased 48 acres on Byesville Road with the intent of building another branch. On June 5, 2006 the Crossroads Branch Library opened with a total cost of $4,000,000
Since 1948 the Board of Trustees has been made up of seven members, each serving a seven year term. The County Commissioners appoint four members and the Judge of the Common Please Court appoints three members. One term expires each year.
The main source of funding for the public libraries in Ohio is the Public Library Fund.