The year 2010 marked a century since the people of Twinsburg dedicated the area’s first public library. The Citizens’ Committee of Twinsburg rented the first floor of the Old Stone Building near the square, and the library officially opened on May 7, 1910. Funding for materials came from patron subscriptions and a healthy dose of donations, but even by the end of 1910, the library was exploring ways to further expand services to the community. The library’s executive committee added a representative from the schools and one from the township, and each organization provided support. By the end of the 1920s, the library became tied to the school district and those who supported it. In 1931, the Samuel Bissell Memorial Library officially became the Twinsburg Public Library.

As World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II impacted Twinsburg, library circulation increased by a factor of twelve, from 5,325 in 1929 to 64,657 in 1966. The library had continued to expand space within the Old Stone Building, but it was clear that the community needed more room for the growing collection and addition of public programming. In 1963, the library opened a new building at 9840 Ravenna Road and added an expansion just ten years later. Circulation and budget figures continued to increase, and the library joined CLEVNET to circulate more materials coming in from other Cleveland-area libraries. Patrons could check out recordings on LP and movies on VHS tapes. The evolution of the Twinsburg Public Library paralleled that of the city. Close-knit and quaint when the first library opened, the city became larger and less rural, evolving into something more akin to other cities and offering similar amenities.

According to census records for Twinsburg, the population more than doubled between 1960 and 1990, from roughly four thousand to nearly ten thousand. The building couldn’t handle an increase of that magnitude, so books, fixtures, movies, and music were packed up and relocated. The new building, at 10050 Ravenna Road, opened in 1993 under the leadership of director Karen Tschudy and the Board of Trustees. The Sheller Wing, including the children’s and teen services departments as well as new meeting rooms, opened in 2003.

Laura Leonard has served as director since 2008. Under her stewardship, the library has retained its standards of customer service while providing service to meet the evolving needs of the community. Patrons have access to one-on-one personal assistance, a soundproof audio/video studio, passport and notary service, a Library of Things and robust collection of board games, and the popular bookmobile. Leonard envisioned the bookmobile as a way to “reach communities that don’t have easy transportation—some of the people in the township, especially in Pinewood Gardens; some of the people in Reminderville; and some of the smaller senior living areas.” COVID reduced the number of people who visit the library, but circulation is holding strong thanks to the popularity of e-books and audiobooks. Patrons enjoy the Libby app for access to thousands of books at their fingertips. They can also access continuing education and authoritative information through the library’s databases and membership in CLEVNET.