Business & Workforce

available by appointment

Maybe you want to follow your life's passion. Maybe you see a business need in your community. Our expert staff is ready to help you:

• Learn about the business you're interested in
• Know your competition
• Define your overall goals
• Create a business plan

We also have dozens of great business research tools and materials that you can access for free with your Library card. Need help getting started? To make an appointment or for more information about Business & Workforce, email Manager David Topoleski.

Computers & Media

on the first floor

Check out your favorite movie, music album or TV show, use one of our public computers or attend a technology training in our new Teaching Lab. To learn more about Computers & Media, contact Manager Terwase Ngur.

Make an appointment with our experts at Main Library:
Monday - Saturday, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Making and Studio Equipment:
Record your next hit at the Library! Our Main Library location features an incredible range of audio and video equipment, studio space, 3D and large format printers, Cricut machines and other great tools for making. To learn more about making at the Library, contact Assistant Manager Rebecca Ransberger.

Local History & Genealogy

on the third floor

Find resources and services offered through our Local History & Genealogy Department including digital collections and exhibits, obituaries, digitization services and our new Community Photo Album.

• The Blade Rare Book Room
• Rogowski-Kaptur Labor History Room
• Digitization lab

To learn more about Local History & Genealogy, contact Manager Jill Clever.

Art & Soul

Gift Shop

Art & Soul features a variety of curated items from local and surrounding area artists as well as Toledo Library logo wear and memorabilia. All of the original pieces are handmade and/or small batch. Find beautiful gifts for friends or for yourself with items including jewelry, pottery, glass, paper, wood, children's items and more. Find Art & Soul on the first floor of Main Library.

Store Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Gallery

Day to Night | Jan. 27 - May 23

Photographer Stephen Wilkes creates visually compelling scenes expertly crafted from more than 1,500 images taken from a fixed vantage point over the course of 15 to 30 hours, from sunrise to sunset. Wilkes spent much of 2017 in the field on assignment documenting bird migration routes for the March 2018 issue of National Geographic magazine. "Day to Night" features four expansive mega-prints of bird migrations that reflect the theme of conservation. Visitors will gain behind-the-scenes insight into all that’s involved in Wilkes’ shoots, from the research put into scouting locations, to determining how time will move through the image, to the time spent conducting the actual shoot, and finally to the extensive editing process.

Pictured Photo Credit: Photographed with the permission of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

McMaster Center & Lobby

on the second floor

The McMaster Family Center for Lifelong Learning offers a theater or lecture style experience for your meeting, speaking event or presentation and seats up to 312. Rental of the McMaster Center begins at $440.

The McMaster Lobby is connected to the McMaster Center and is an ideal space for networking events and more. This open floor place space overlooks the first floor of Main Library and can hold between 100 to 200. Rental of the Lobby begins at $293.

View the full pricing list and usage policy for Main Library rental spaces and equipment. For questions or to make a reservation by phone, call 419.259.5199. At this time, the Library is not available to rent for organization fundraising or donor cultivation events, weddings, reunions, parties or other social activities.

Community Room

on the parking level

Main Library's Community Room provides a prime place to meet and collaborate, with the opportunity to offer expanded hours before or after Library hours, Monday - Saturday. It is located just a few steps from Main Library's parking garage.

Before requesting the Community Room, please review our Meeting Room Policy. This free space is available to request for meetings more than 30 days in advance and for community groups to use up to 12 times per year.

Meeting Rooms

All of our Library locations offer free public meeting rooms. These rooms are available for educational, instructional or civic programs when available.

To Reserve a Room: Call the location directly or reserve a room online. Reservations are complete once you receive a response from Library staff. Before booking a meeting room, please review our Meeting Room Policy.

The Library does not endorse the purposes, policies, products or claims of those who use its meeting rooms. Scheduled meetings may be superseded by Library-sponsored activities.

History & Renovation

Main Library has been a downtown Toledo landmark since it opened on September 5, 1940. Today, more than half-a-million visitors check out nearly one million items annually. In addition to a large collection of books, CDs, videos, DVDs and reference materials, Main Library offers ample community meeting spaces, the Blade Rare Book Room and the Creativity Lab: the Susan M. Savage Family Place.

In 2001, Main Library was expanded to 271,000-square feet. In 2019, it underwent its latest renovation which added making equipment, studio space, a cafe, gallery and store on the first floor, as well as additional meeting and work space on the parking level and first floor. The Children's Library also received a substantial renovation to add more value to young Library customers.