For more than 150 years, your Akron-Summit County Public Library (ASCPL) has stood steadfast as the heart of our community.

With 18 branches throughout Summit County and Main Library in Downtown Akron, the Library welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors and circulates 4.6+ million items annually. The buildings in our library system are, on average, 24 years old and are showing their age.

The ASCPL will have a bond issue (Issue 18) on the ballot on May 6, 2025, for maintenance, repairs, renovations, and improvements to library facilities. We respectfully ask for your support for this critical issue to maintain this valuable community asset.

Your Akron-Summit County Public Library:

  • Welcomes 1.5 million visitors and checks out more than 4.6 million items each year.
  • Provides a robust collection of physical books and digital materials, such as eBooks, downloadable audio, streaming video, and research databases.
  • Hosts more than 2,000 storytimes annually, connecting infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with books, songs, and rhymes.
  • Delivers critical programs that support early childhood literacy, student success, workforce development, and personal enrichment.
  • Serves as a resource for children, students, job seekers and seniors.
  • Maintains 18 branches throughout Summit County and Main Library in Downtown Akron, the average age of which is 24 years old.
  • Invested more than $6.13M in maintaining and repairing Main Library and branches from 2022-2024.
  • More than 280,000 people were registered to borrow materials from the Akron-Summit County Public Library in 2024.
  • Meeting rooms and TechZone makerspace equipment were reserved more than 11,000 times by the public in 2024.

 

What is Issue 18?

  • Issue 18 is an ASCPL bond issue on the May 6, 2025 ballot.
  • Issue 18 is a new 1-mill bond levy that will provide resources to allow the library to maintain, repair, renovate, and improve facilities.
  • It will only cost the owner of a $100,000 home $35 per year.
  • Without levy funds from Issue 18, the Library will not be able to update buildings and technology to keep pace with modern and ever-expanding community needs.

 

Have a question about Library services or the bond issue? Contact us.