Cleveland Public Library in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, United States | Angling

The mission of the Cleveland Public Library, in Cleveland, Ohio, United States is to be the best urban library system in the country by providing access to the worldwide information that people and organizations need in a timely, convenient, and equitable manner.

The vision of the Cleveland Public Library, is to be the learning place for a diverse community, inspiring people of all ages with the love of books and reading, advancing the pursuit of knowledge, and enhancing the quality of life for all who use the Library.

The Cleveland Public Library system, founded in 1869, includes the main downtown library as well as 28 branches scattered throughout the city. The library also participates in a network with other regional libraries to make those libraries' collections available to Cleveland Public Library cardholders.



The Cleveland Public Library, was started in 1869, with the mission to be "the best urban library in the country." Its beginnings were humble; the first library was a single, rented room at W. 3rd and Superior.



Cleveland's Main Library is located on Superior Avenue at 3rd Street in downtown Cleveland. The Classical Revival main building, designed by the firm of Walker and Weeks, opened in 1923. A second building, the adjacent Carl Stokes Building, opened in 1997. Together they form 529,000-square feet of space. A delightful and peaceful reading garden sits between the two buildings.