News

For poetry lovers, April is very special – it’s National Poetry Month. It was introduced in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poets and poetry in the United States. While National Poetry Month is usually celebrated with activities, programs, and events around the country, many of these have had to ... Read More

We have some exciting things planned for the next few weeks, as we all continue to shelter at home during the COVID-19 crisis. Look out for social media posts, including pictures and video from previous book festivals, as well as some exciting new content, including our brand-new virtual book club! We are excited to partner with our friend, Olivia Matthews, ... Read More

March is Women’s History Month. Ohio has been home to many extraordinary women, in many different fields. One of them was Cincinnati’s Doris Day. Born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff in 1922, she was a talented singer who began appearing on local radio while still in her teens. She sang with several big bands – changing her name to “Day” along ... Read More

The Ohioana Library administration is closely tracking news from the CDC and Ohio Department of Health regarding COVID-19, or coronavirus. We encourage our patrons and staff to follow CDC guidelines regarding handwashing and other prevention measures, and to avoid coming to the library if you are feeling ill. At this time, the Ohioana Book Festival is scheduled to go on ... Read More

We’ve now journeyed through eight decades in our 90 Years . . . 90 Books retrospective, in which we’re looking back at titles by 90 Ohio authors since Ohioana’s founding in 1929. So far, we shared 70 books, representing authors from every part of the state, books of every literary genre, and books for readers of every age. In this ... Read More

Our journey continues with our special year-end anniversary blog, 90 Years . . . 90 Books, in which we’re taking a look at books by 90 Ohio authors that have been published since Ohioana was founded in 1929. We’re up to the 2000s. The first decade of the 21st century was a memorable time for both Ohio and Ohioana . ... Read More

It’s been great hearing from many readers who tell us they’ve really been enjoying our special year-end blog, 90 Years . . . 90 Books, in which we’re taking a look at books by 90 Ohio authors that have been published since Ohioana was founded in 1929. So, since the magic number is 90 – our third entry will focus ... Read More

Thanks to everyone who responded so enthusiastically to our first 90 Years, 90 Books blog! So here we are, with the second entry in our list of 90 books by 90 Ohio authors that have been published since Ohioana was founded in 1929. As with our first list, some of these books and their authors may be unfamiliar, while others ... Read More

Each year for the past six years, we’ve done a series called 30 Days, 30 Books, in which we will feature one Ohioana Book Award finalist a day. It has become very popular with readers, who tell us how much they look forward to it every spring. So, to put a fitting epilogue to Ohioana’s 90th anniversary, we decided to ... Read More

The Ohioana Library Association was founded by Martha Kinney Cooper, First Lady of Ohio; the first book in Ohioana’s collection, History of the Western Reserve, was donated by its author, Harriet Taylor Upton; Ohioana’s first executive director was Florence Roberts Head, who helped Martha Cooper found the library. These are a few of the extraordinary women who are responsible for ... Read More