Something for Everyone

There is a dispute as to whether P.T. Barnum’s last words were: “We have something for everybody” or “The bigger the humbug, the better people will like it”. P.T.’s promises were met with skepticism. However, at Cleveland Public Library, we actually do have something for everyone. Whether someone is working on a Ph.D. or a GED, the Library has the resources to help...and they are free! And that is not any kind of humbug.

For years, we have been promoted as "The People's University" because of our commitment to serve a diversity of people based on the highest standards. With the last 18 months focused so sharply on the development of our strategic plan, we now have more resources and technologies in place than ever before to further that reputation.

Of course, our core essence continues to revolve around books. We will always be a place with fabulous collections where people can find the resources they need and cherish. Ten million items are huge in number, but making them accessible to our patrons is as large a challenge. We are evolving to meet that challenge and be so much more than any old, stodgy view of “library”. As you’ll discover in the pages of this Report to the Community, Cleveland Public Library made major strides in 2012 to become more than a simple storehouse of information. As necessary as that role is, we as members of the Board of Trustees know that’s not all that is important for us to be.

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