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BPL is Open for Browsing
Monday-Thursday 10am-8pm,
Friday-Saturday 10am-6pm,
& Sunday 1pm-5pm

Today's hours

We're open 10:00AM to 8:00PM


Address
2411 East Main Street
Bexley, OH 43209

Reference & Accounts(614) 231-2793
Kids & Teens(614) 231-2878
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thu, Mar 23, 10:30am - 11:00am
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Children ages 3-6 are invited to the library for activities to help build vital early literacy skills, including interactive stories, music, dancing, and more!

Thu, Mar 23, 11:00am - 11:30am
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Stay to play after storytime, with toys and activities that stimulate the imagination and help build social-emotional skills.

Thu, Mar 23, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Quiet Reading Room
It's the "Year of the Parks" in Bexley and our city's parks are rich with history. Join us to enjoy vintage photos of sports, camps and events with Bexley Recreation. Bring your memories to share too!

Thu, Mar 23, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Join the Columbus Youth Jazz Vocal Lab for an evening of jazz and R&B! Nine talented middle and high school musicians across central Ohio are showing off their newly developed skills as jazz singers.

Fri, Mar 24, 10:00am - 4:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Be the lifeline patients need. Give blood. Please schedule your appointment at 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org, sponsor code: Bexley.

Mon, Mar 27, 10:30am - 11:00am
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Caregivers and babies alike will love this interactive lapsit program with baby-focused books, songs, and rhymes. For ages 0-18 months.

Mon, Mar 27, 11:00am - 11:30am
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Stay to play after storytime, with toys and activities that stimulate the imagination and help build social-emotional skills.

Mon, Mar 27, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Follow along with an episode of The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. Come ready to paint happy trees in a fun and relaxed environment. Supplies will be provided. Registration opens 3/1 and is required.
This event is full

Tue, Mar 28, 10:30am - 11:00am
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Join us for this movement, music, and sign language focused storytime for all ages. Learn at least 12 signs a quarter and enjoy live ukulele music, finger rhymes, and more.

Tue, Mar 28, 11:00am - 11:30am
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Stay to play after storytime, with toys and activities that stimulate the imagination and help build social-emotional skills.

Tue, Mar 28, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
In partnership with the Capital Jazz and World Music Festival, members of FIVE PLAY, the sister group of the world-renowned DIVA Jazz Orchestra, will be performing their brand of modern jazz!

Wed, Mar 29, 10:30am - 11:00am
Bexley Public Library - Youth Services Space
Bring your toddler to the library for stories, rhymes, songs, and play activities designed specifically to help build vital early literacy skills!

Wed, Mar 29, 11:00am - 11:30am
Bexley Public Library - Youth Services Space
Stay to play after storytime, with toys and activities that stimulate the imagination and help build social-emotional skills.

Wed, Mar 29, 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Untethered Library
Join us online each week as a member of our Youth Services team shares a favorite book chosen especially for the elementary school crowd.

Wed, Mar 29, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Quiet Reading Room
Meet teen fiction authors J.C. Peterson and Kristy Boyce. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Thu, Mar 30, 10:30am - 11:00am
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Children ages 3-6 are invited to the library for activities to help build vital early literacy skills, including interactive stories, music, dancing, and more!

Thu, Mar 30, 11:00am - 11:30am
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium
Stay to play after storytime, with toys and activities that stimulate the imagination and help build social-emotional skills.

Thu, Mar 30, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Bexley Public Library
Meeting of BPL Board of Trustees' Personnel & Salary Committee

Thu, Mar 30, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Quiet Reading Room
Would you like to get involved with Love Your Alley but not sure where to start? Join us for this Prospective Participant Workshop to share ideas and learn more about restoring biodiversity in Bexley.

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Search the catalog, reserve books, check your account & keep up to date with library events - wherever you are!

 

Local History & Genealogy 
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Search the Bexley Collection

The Bexley Collection is an online archive of the history of Bexley, Ohio that provides access to images, artifacts and primary documents about Bexley & its citizens. Currently we have three digital collections for patrons to explore. You can find out more about the collection here.  Use the links below to discover more about Bexley & its citizens.

Bexley Businesses
Bexley Businesses
A collection of historic photographs and other ephemera chronicling the history of businesses and restaurants in Bexley.
Fourth of July in Bexley
Fourth of July in Bexley
The celebration of Independence Day in Bexley was first hosted by the newly created Bexley Celebrations Association in 1948. Another patriotic celebration, Flag Day, started in 1953, was responsible for the inauguration of the city's first patriotic parade. This collection documents the patriotic celebrations of Bexley, Ohio.
The Torch
The Torch
A collection of The Torch, the student newspaper of Bexley High School. The first edition of The Torch was published October 9, 1925.
Bexley City Schools
Bexley City Schools
Explore the history of the Bexley City Schools through historic photographs, newsletters, and documents. Collected to commemorate the centennial of Bexley’s first high school, now Montrose Elementary School, this collection includes material documenting Maryland and Cassingham Elementaries, the middle and high schools as well as early township schools in what is now Bexley. This collection is presented through a partnership between the Bexley Historical Society, Bexley City Schools, and Bexley Public Library.
Bexley Schools Stereographs
Bexley Schools Stereographs
Discovered in an attic at Cassingham Elementary School, this collection of Stereographs was created in 1934 by the Keystone View Company of Cleveland, Ohio. A stereograph is made of two nearly identical photos placed side-by-side, that when viewed through a stereoscope, creates a three dimensional image. Although digitally they do not provide a 3-D experience, the images provide a glimpse into the Bexley City Schools during the 1930s. This collection is presented through a partnership between the Bexley Historical Society and Bexley Public Library.
Bexley High School Yearbooks
The first of Bexley Public Library's digital collections this collection of Bexley High School yearbooks, 1923-2005, was created in partnership with the Bexley City School District, the Bexley High School Alumni Association, and Columbus Metropolitan Library with funding from a 2013 Bexley Community Foundation grant. Additional yearbooks will be added ten years after the date of publication.
Abstracts of Title
Abstracts of Title
Approximately 50 different subdivisions, also called additions, makeup the City of Bexley. The goal for this collection is to digitize an abstract of title for each of these additions. The abstracts included document the history of the property within the specific addition and its ownership back to the early 1800's. If you have an abstract of title for a property in Bexley and would like to loan it to Bexley Public Library to be digitized for inclusion in this collection please email localhistory@bexleylibrary.org. This collection is presented through a partnership between the Bexley Historical Society and Bexley Public Library.
Sears Kit Homes
Explore the houses of Bexley, Ohio that were purchased as kits from a Sears, Roebuck & Company catalog. See photographs of nine such homes discovered by researchers from the Bexley Historical Society and Bexley Public Library and learn about their features. Do you think you live in a kit home from Sears or another manufacturer? Let us know so we can add it to the collection.
Bexley Responds COVID-19
Since March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, a pandemic, our community has been responding. From closing schools, libraries, and businesses to changing the ways we gather, learn, and worship, our lives have been turned upside down. This collection of photos, documenting history as it happens, represents a range of experiences, including hometown hero Dr. Amy Acton and the Black Lives Matter movement, all in the midst of a pandemic. Browse the collection and consider adding your photos to the archive.

The Bexley Collection is made possible by a generous grant from the Bexley Community Foundation to the Bexley Historical Society and Bexley Public Library and through a collaborative partnership with Columbus Metropolitan Library.


BPL's Vertical File

Explore BPL's in house collection of local history articles with this index. The articles have been curated for years by BPL staff, and are located in the Local History Space on the Lower Level. 

Genealogy & Local History Programs
Thu, Mar 23, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Quiet Reading Room
It's the "Year of the Parks" in Bexley and our city's parks are rich with history. Join us to enjoy vintage photos of sports, camps and events with Bexley Recreation. Bring your memories to share too!

Sat, Apr 01, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Tech Center Classroom
Let David, BPL's Local History Librarian, help you get started with family history research and learn tips for keeping your discoveries organized! Registration is required for this in-person program.

Sat, Apr 29, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Memory Lab,Creation Station
Learn how to convert old family photos and videos into digital files and explore your creative side through audio, photo, and video production tools, and the Cricut Maker. Sessions led by BPL staff.

Thu, May 18, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Bexley Library Auditorium,BPL Virtual Programs
Local architect Amy Lauerhass and Local History Librarian David Distelhorst will share intriguing facts and stories about the architectural detail and history of each home on the 2023 H&G Tour.

Tue, May 23, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Bexley Public Library - Tech Center Classroom
Join David, BPL’s Local History Librarian, to explore online databases that help you find past and present information on your house and property.