Beyond the Shelf with Orrville Public Library
Go beyond the shelf with OPL! Of course we love all things book-related and we'll definitely share about those topics. We'll bring you the latest in book news, share library programs and events, and invite familiar voices from the Orrville community to talk about how the library has shaped them. New episodes are released the first Friday of each month.
Episodes
We're exploring six new states in the latest episode that range from mountains to deserts and in between. These libraries are connecting with book mobiles, day cares, and more!
Thank you to these libraries for sharing with us: Quapaw Tribal Library, OK; Lincoln County Library System, WY; Steamboat Library, CO; Iron County Book Mobile, UT; Copper Queen Library, AZ; and East Mountain Library, NM.
In this month's episode we discover more hidden connections with libraries across the U.S. and take a jaunt to Puerto Rico. Thank you to the libraries that helped make this episode fun!
Kayleigh at Mount Pleasant Public Library, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
Elaine at Lied Scottsbluff Public Library, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Brian at Atchison Public Library, Atchison, Kansas
Nicholas at Library Center of the Ozarks, Branson, MO
Ruben at Richland Pari...
We're continuing westward across the country to share about some Midwest and Great Plains libraries. Tune in to learn about Carnegie libraries and presidential connections.
Thanks to these libraries for sharing for this episode:
Gayle and Denise at Moore Public Library - Lexington, MI
Angie at Spooner Memorial Library - Spooner, WI
Sarah at Stillwater Public Library - Stillwater, MN
Melissa at Leach Public Library - Wahpeton, ND
We're heading south to explore libraries in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi. These libraries had many firsts and continue to do so much!
Thanks to Amherst, Virginia for adding to our collection as well.
South Carolina - Anderson Library; Florida - Zephyrhills Public Library; Georgia - Brooks County Public Library; Alabama - Daphne Public Library; Tennessee - Pigeon Forge Library; Mississippi - W...
We continue our celebration of America with four more states and a territory. Tune in to hear about unique foods, festivals, and facilities along the southeast coast and in the North Pacific.
We'd like to thank the Queen Anne's County Library (Maryland), Bristol Public Library (Virginia), Ohio County Public Library (West Virginia), Spangler Branch of the Cleveland County Library (North Carolina), and the Guam Public Library (Guam)....
We were happy to have a conversation with Allison and Rafael Rozo, authors of Diego Fuego the Firefighting Dragon and Unique Like You.
Allison is an Orrville native. She and Rafael found a passion writing picture books together sharing Latin American culture and the joy of celebrating who you are and where you're from.
Find their books and more at RozoBooksArt.com.
Our 5th Local Author Festival was on March 21, 2026. Twelve authors were new to the event and sat down to chat about their books and writing.
The interviews in this episode include Don Ake, Jim Duffey, Irv Korman, Jack Kristofco, Brad Rice, S.E. Rood, S.A. Schneider, G.E. Stroud, Jane Ann Turzillo, and Lori Wilkerson.
The next stops on our U.S. exploration take us down the east coast a little more. Libraries in Connecticut, New York, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania shared some fun facts that we're passing on to you.
Thanks to the Canton Public Library, CT, Northport-East Northport Public Library, NY, Millsboro Public Library, DE, Cape May County Public Library, NJ, and Punxsutawney Library, PA!
As we continue our celebration of America's 250th anniversary, Jenny & Dawn share letters and stories from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island as well as American Samoa.
Thanks to Bethany at Calef Memorial Library, Berit at Ellsworth Public Library, Elizabeth at Seabrook Library, Matt at Pawtucket Public Library, and Amanda at Winchester Public Library for helping us with research for this episode.
As we begin exploring America, Dawn and Jenny start in the Midwest. In this episode we'll learn about libraries and locales from Birchard Public Library, Ohio, Bloomington, Illinois, Winchester Community Library, Indiana, and Floyd County Library, Kentucky. Tune in for fun facts and learn something new!
Find more information about all these places and more in our library's catalog.
This year is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the USA. We want to share interesting information about each state and territory that makes up this nation including (but not limited to) traditions, authors, books, and famous people. We're connecting with libraries across the country to learn unique things about places like Orrville. Each episode we will share what we've learned about five states or territories. Join us o...
We're wrapping up our 100th anniversary in this episode with some special guests: past employees of the Orrville Public Library. Take a walk down memory lane and maybe learn something new in this month's episode.
Books shared by our guests:
Jenny and Dawn zero in on the Pulitzer Prize novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead in this episode. Published in 2019 with a movie adaptation released in 2024, this impactful story almost required a book to movie comparison.
The content of this book is very heavy and upsetting at times, but tells an important story based on real events. Reader discretion is strongly suggested.
Find The Nickel Boys, other books by Colson Whitehe...
The sequel to last month's episode brings a conversation with Cindy Lombardo, director from 1998-2004. This time period included a large library building project and book collaboration with Orrville schools students.
Books Cindy is reading:
2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed by Eric Klinenberg
My Friends by Fredrick Backman
The Power Broker by Robert Caro
Find these titles and more in our catalog.
Please note...
In this two-part series, Dawn and Jenny sat down with past directors to talk about how Orrville Public Library has changed over the decades. Our guest for part one is Lynn Stainbrook, director from 1987-1998.
Lynn recommends two mystery series: the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman and the Inspector Gamanche series.
We've said before that the library is more than just books. In this episode, let's explore what that means. Our Library of Things contains 176 items that you can play with, learn with, bake with, and much more!
Click here to see the growing list of items in the Library of Things. Visit the library to see what's available to checkout today!
Will Hillenbrand, picture book illustrator and author, visited the Orrville Public Library to celebrate our 100th anniversary in May. We were glad to sit down for a chat about storytelling and growing up.
Find Will's books on our shelves and in our catalog.
Part of our 100th anniversary celebration theme is 'celebrating the past'. We decided a good way to do that would be to have a local history panel. On March 17, 2025, three local experts answered questions about the city and shared their memories. Take a walk down memory lane with this episode of Beyond the Shelf.
In this episode, we talked with OHuddle Executive Director Sara Reith about this unique in-school mentorship organization. Take a listen to learn about the mission and methods of OHuddle throughout Wayne County.
To find out more about OHuddle, including how you can be a part of the movement, go to www.OHuddle.org.
Fourteen new authors share about their books, writing, and reading in this month's episode of Beyond the Shelf:
R.W. Futrell, Max Willi Fischer, Connie Nussbaum, Julie Hatcher, Lorie Troyer, Eva Johnson Allen and C. Ermal Allen, Cary Harter, Christy Donmoyer, Dottie Sines, Kayla Maximovich Ogg, Amanda M. Lyons, Joanne Lehman, Cyndi Brec, and Gloria A. Adams.
Find their books in our online catalog! Learn more about OPL events and pro...
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