The first library in Pickaway County was incorporated by the Legislature on February 28, 1834 as the Circleville Atheneum. Although the books were eventually scattered and lost, the Pickaway Lyceum flourished from 1845 until 1851. A Magazine Club was then begun, which also collected books and became a circulating library. In 1869 a YMCA was established which contained a magazine reading-room and some books, and the books eventually became part of a subscription library. The Trustees of that Library Association donated the library to the city on January 17, 1873, and the circulating library also donated their books to the city.

Circleville Public Library opened on July 1, 1873 with a collection of 974 volumes in the Odd Fellows Hall. In 1892, the library moved into Memorial Hall at the corner of Main and Pickaway streets with a 99-year lease. The Circleville Public Library became the Pickaway County District Public Library in 1949.

The library’s first branch was opened December 16, 1999, in Ashville. The family of the late Floyd E. Younkin worked with community leaders from the Teays Valley Civic Association to make the facility a reality. The 5,000-square-foot facility includes collection items, public computers, and a public meeting room.

In 1994, the library Board purchased the former Ames building at 1160 North Court Street. While the financial resources were not immediately available to renovate the facility, the Board agreed to lease 17,000 square feet of the 46,000-square-foot building to Berger Health System in 1998.

Formal fund-raising efforts for the “Main Move” began in 2001. On January 6, 2003, the main library moved into its new facility on Court Street in Circleville. More than 6,200 people came through the doors that first week. The library had been closed for more than four weeks to facilitate moving more than 100,000 volumes to a new facility.

In 2010, Berger Health System returned approximately 8,000 square feet of its leased space at 1170 N. Court Street back to the library so the main library could expand to add a teen center, a computer lab, additional meeting rooms and an enlarged children’s area. The expansion was completed in May 2011 and was funded by the generous donations from the estates of Mary Joanne Clifton and Mary Virginia Crites-Hannan.

Berger Health System, now OhioHealth Berger Hospital, elected not to renew its lease and on October 1, 2021, returned the remaining approximately 9,000 square feet of its leased space at 1170 N. Court Street to the library. On January 3, 2022, the library entered into a twenty-five year lease with Pickaway County Community Foundation (PCCF) for the vacated 1170 N. Court Street space, with the caveat that the space could only be used for children and family educational purposes. In early 2024, PCCF began construction on Inspiration Station, a STEM learning facility and children’s museum.

From Pickaway County Library Policy Manual. Effective Date 6/14/2024.