According to a 2015 Pew survey, over 90 percent of adults think of public libraries as "welcoming and friendly places," and about half have visited or otherwise used a public library in the last 12 months.
The Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County is one of the busiest public libraries in the country, second only to the New York Public Library. Its Main Library downtown and 40 branches serve more than 800,000 people. In 2016, Library cardholders checked out more than 21.2 million items.
But libraries across the country are facing budget challenges as they evolve to address advances in digital technology and meet the needs of their local communities.
Last month the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County appointed Paula Brehm-Heeger as its new Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Director. She joins Cincinnati Edition to discuss the Library's challenges and opportunities to better serve Greater Cincinnati.
Tune in to Cincinnati Edition Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. to hear this segment.