Columbus Metropolitan Library

Columbus Library works hard to help its customers gain access to literacy, resources, jobs, and knowledge. Finding that many of its clients could not get to the library, staff in the Ready to Read Corps program took the library to them in neighborhood spots such as health clinics, coffee shops, and even laundromats. The library offers Homework Help Centers for high school students in all 21 of its locations, the last 10 of which were funded entirely by donations from the community. More than 500 volunteers, retired teachers and college and university students, share their time and provide expertise for this program. With unemployment in its service area hovering around 10 percent, the library has opened Job Help Centers serving some 44,000 people in 2010. The library augments the program by bringing in partners with expertise in employment, entrepreneurship, and business development and promotes it to the community and other libraries through Job Help Week at Your Library.