a few random pictures from the cleveland main library. cleveland's main library is located at 325 superior avenue, between e. 3rd and e. 6th streets. when I first moved to cleveland someone told me that cleveland has the second or third largest library system in the united states and for years I made the same claim. unfortunately this is not true! perhaps it's ranked as the second or third in something other than size, but it is not the second or third largest library in the u.s..
according to the american library association it's not even in the top 10, or top 20; in fact it is ranked as the 44th largest library. however, if we subtract academic libraries and only consider public libraries, the cleveland public library is the 12th largest library. in terms of population size, cleveland has dropped considerably over the last century, cleveland is now #39 in terms of city size (compared to being #5 in 1920; #7 in 1950; and #23 in 1990) .
regardless of size the cleveland public library system is great as are the other libraries in the greater cleveland area. according to hennen's latest rating of america's public libraries, the cuyahoga county public library system is the #1 rated public library system in the largest city category (over 500,00) and lakewood public library is #1 in the category for cities with a population between 50,000 - 99,999.
speaking of the lakewood library, it has recently completed a major expansion. I'll be showcasing the newly expanded and renovated lakewood library soon!
