Library celebrates 15th anniversary

“The community has been growing in North Ridgeville, and the library has done so as well. We are not only a library but a community center as well.”

The Lorain Public Library System North Ridgeville Branch celebrated a 15th anniversary at its current location.

The branch, located at 35700 Bainbridge Rd., celebrated May 5 with crafts, a magician, music and the dedication of a new stained glass window in the library’s meeting room.

“The window was funded and designed by the Friends of the North Ridgeville Library,” said Elizabeth Wagner, the senior marketing manager for the Lorain Public Library System. “The goal was to keep the theme of reading in mind. The bottom of the window features the titles of some of the friends’ favorite books.”

Wagner said the window has a message of how books stay with us.

“The books then open and rise to the top of the window showing how books have a lasting effect after they are read,” she said. “It looks great and Sheree Ferrato, owner of Verite Glass Inc. in Oberlin, did a phenomenal job creating it.”

Jeff Sigsworth, of the Technical Services Department for the Lorain Public Library System, said the current location celebrates the library’s finally reaching a permanent space.

“The library, which has always been part of the LPLS since its inception, was originally in a storefront on Route 83,” he said. “It was there from 1958 to 1977 and then moved to the first floor of the old town hall from 1977 to 1989. The library was then moved to a former bank from 1989 to 2003 and it has been here ever since.”

Branch Manager Karen Sigsworth has a real passion for the library.

“I love the library because it is always changing,” she said. “The community has been growing in North Ridgeville, and the library has done so as well. We are not only a library but a community center as well. We are always moving forward and looking at how best to serve the community and I feel this building is a testament to that.”

For more information on the LPLS North Ridgeville Branch or the other LPLS locations visit lorainpubliclibrary.org.

— Branch Manager Karen Sigsworth

ZACH SRNIS — THE MORNING JOURNAL Karen Sigsworth, manager of the LPLS North Ridgeville Branch, stands in front of the library’s new stained glass window during the branch’s 15 anniversary in its current location.