Update (6/23/26): Renovations will begin inside of our Main Branch on the week of June 29.

During construction, items like books or movies may be moved from their familiar location and certain areas may be blocked off for safety reasons.
When in doubt, ask our staff for assistance. We’ll be happy to help you find the item you’re looking for or the location of your program/meeting.

During Phase One of the interior renovation…

On our first floor:

  • The “U” display and seating in our lobby area will be removed
  • Our adult AV collection will be temporarily moved to that lobby/seating area
  • Most of our nonfiction collection will be moved to the Garfield Room and will only be accessible to staff. This means that you can still put those items on hold, but they may not be immediately available. Staff will gladly retrieve any title you are looking for. Just ask!
  • Biographies, new nonfiction, and our most popular nonfiction sections — cookbooks and general health — will still be available to the public
  • Our fiction will still be available to the public. It’s moving to to its new home in what was previously the nonfiction area
  • Public computers will temporarily move but will still be available
  • Study rooms will be unavailable to the public. Those looking for a quiet place to study or meet are encouraged to visit The HUB.
  • The lobby stairwell will be closed to the public. Instead, patrons can use the stairwell next to our foyer or elevator.

On our second floor:

  • Paperback chapter books, graphic novels, and select magazines have been shifted to the Family AV Room
  • Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holiday picture books have been moved to what were previously the graphic-novel shelves. Other holiday books have been sorted in with other picture books.
  • Biographies, holiday nonfiction, reference books, and Caldecott Award winners have been added to the children’s nonfiction shelves.
  • The Frances Cleveland Room will be closed to the public, starting the week of Aug. 10.

In the basement:

  • The Garfield Room will be closed to the public, so it will be unavailable for room rental.

Update (6/10/26): Lakeland Construction has started work on the outdoor component of our Main Branch Renovation and Expansion. They have installed a construction fence along the east end of our main parking lot and are removing a few select trees. The Main Branch’s Yard and Story Book Walk will be unavailable during this phase of the project.

During summer reading, our outdoor programs will be hosted in the backyard between our staff parking lot and Main Branch.

When the indoor construction begins, certain parts of the library will be blocked off from patrons for remodeling and their safety. This will include some seating, shelving, and meeting rooms. We apologize for the inconvenience. The interruption will be temporary, but the improvements will last a lifetime!

Mentor Public Library is committed to protecting the tree canopy on its property, so it has teamed with local nonprofit Rooted in Trees to plant a grove of eight oaks this autumn. The oaks will provide shade, beauty, fresh air, and a home for native wildlife. The planting will be open to the public and is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12.

What is the Main Campus Master Plan?

Mentor Public Library will enhance both the inside and outside of its Main Branch. during a multiphase master plan over the next several years.

When it’s completed, library patrons will enjoy an expanded children’s play area, upgraded makerspace, additional soundproofed study rooms, and more space for passport services.

The Mentor Planning Commission approved a conditional-use permit to allow the expansion of a public facility and a building addition/site alteration during their Dec. 5, 2024.

 

Click here for a PDF of the Main Branch Campus Layout

Why is the expansion/renovation occurring?

These changes allow the library to serve its community and stay current with its patrons’ needs.

The Main Branch was built in the early 1960s and expanded in the late 1980s, and the way people use libraries has changed a lot since then. The Main Branch wasn’t designed to accommodate features like makerspace or passport services that are popular with patrons.

These additions are also the direct result of requests from library users.

The Library Board spearheaded a community focus group and patron polling in 2023 to learn what library users wanted. The two most common requests were enhanced green space outside of the branch and an expanded children’s play area within — both of which are part of the planned improvements.

What library services will the plan improve?

Revised First Floor Plan

The expansion is designed to create dedicated areas for popular library services that — by necessity — used makeshift spaces before. In many instances, these services have outgrown their present space.

This expansion will allow the library to supplement and improve its present programming and services.

The indoor plans include:

  • More space for makerspace and technology like the library’s 3D printers
  • A dedicated space for teens to enjoy the library
  • A larger children’s story time and craft room
  • More area for the library’s popular passport services
  • A dedicated room for nursing mothers
  • Soundproofed study rooms for quiet use
  • An expanded children’s play area
  • A sensory room in the children’s area, which can provide a needed moment of calm and comfort.

Click here for a PDF of the first floor plan and click here for a PDF of second floor plan.

The plan also calls for an outdoor shelter to be built on the property that adjoins the Main Branch and is owned by the library, as well as a separate garage for the library’s vans.

The shelter would include:

Second Floor Plan

  • Coverage so outdoor programming can still occur when it rains. (Presently, the Main Branch must either cancel outdoor programming or move it inside when inclement weather is forecasted.)
  • Security cameras.

An architect's draft of the proposed garage/service area. It's built with brick and can hold three vehicles.The garage would include:

  • A bathroom that would only be available while an outdoor program is occurring. (The bathroom would be locked at all other times.)
  • A work space for the library’s Facilities staff.
  • Secured storage for the library’s vehicles and equipment.
  • Security cameras.

The library will also restructure its parking lots so it can:

  • Allow patrons to exit the Main Branch’s drive-thru via the SharonLee parking lot. (This will make it easier for motorists who are driving east of the branch, because the Mentor Avenue exit is right turn only.
  • Maintain the drive-thru’s right-turn-only exit onto Mentor Avenue.

As part of restructuring the green space outside of our Main Branch, we’ve added a butterfly garden near Lauren J Drive. We want to thank FirstEnergy Corp for both funding and planting the new garden! It includes Ozark coneflowers, stiff coreopsis, white false indigo, beardtongue, golden alexander, hoary vervain, smooth aster, bergamot, dense blazing star, purple coneflower, heath aster, and Ohio goldenrod.

We look forward to a kaleidoscope of happy pollinators visiting our garden next spring.

An architect's draft of the proposed shelter that will support outdoor programming. The top is designed to be the shape of a beech leaf.

How long has Mentor Public Library been working on this plan?

Decades ago, the library’s Board recognized that its Main Branch was landlocked in a residential neighborhood. That prohibited growth of services for the community.

Because of that, the Board prepared for the possibility of purchasing neighboring properties should they become available. That included budgeting for that possibility.

The Board of Trustees finalized its current strategic plan in 2022, and the plan was created with feedback from library patrons through surveys and focus groups.

The plan states that one of the library’s future goals is to “expand and enhance library facilities.”

The Board also conducted a feasibility study in 2023 to see how the campus of its Main Branch could best serve library users. The results helped guide the Master Plan.

What is the proposed timeline?

This is a multiyear project. We are slated to begin pre-construction this spring, starting with the garage structure.

We will update the FAQ when we have more specifics about the project’s timeline.

An architect's rendering of the renovated Main Branch. It includes an expansion on the building's south side.

Will the Master Plan affect traffic around the library?

The library’s residential neighbors have expressed concerns about traffic around the library — both speeding and the number of vehicles. The library continues to meet with safety forces and representatives of the City of Mentor to investigate potential solutions for these concerns.

As part of those conversations, the library made a Public Records request regarding automobile crashes near the Main Branch. From August 2021 to August 2024, there were no traffic accidents on the portions of Sharon Lee and Lauren J roads that abut the library. During the same 3-year span, there were eight vehicle collisions on the portion of Mentor Avenue that borders the library.

Since these discussions began, the City of Mentor has also added a turning lane from Sharon Lee to Mentor Avenue. 

What is the renovation/expansion’s budget?

The library has budgeted $4 million — not including design services — for this project. It has also received donations and is pursuing outside funding from grants. The project will not necessitate a levy or additional funding from taxpayers.

Is Mentor Public Library receiving more money because of the recent property reevaluation?
No. Mentor Public Library has a 2-mill outside levy that was approved by voters in 2012 and renewed in 2017. Because it is outside millage, the library receives the same amount as when the levy was passed in 2012. Only inside mills increase with property-value increases. As of 2023, Mentor Public Library’s effective tax rate 1.4627.

An architect's rendering of the renovated children's play area. It has a nature theme with artificial "trees" along one wall.

Why did Mentor Public Library purchase adjoining properties?

MPL’s Main Branch campus includes the library property at 8215 Mentor Ave., as well as adjacent lots at 8245 Mentor Ave., 7525 Lauren J Drive, and 8197 Mentor Ave. that were purchased and incorporated into 8215 Mentor Ave. The library bought the 8245 Mentor Ave. property in 2009, the Lauren J property in 2022, and 8197 Mentor Ave. in 2024.

These purchases were made after careful consideration by the library Board. They recognized that the Main Branch was surrounded by other properties, and this prohibited growth of services for the community.

The addition of neighboring properties provides a space for the library’s popular outdoor programming and a buffer between the library and its residential neighbors.

Does the library need to change the zoning of the neighboring lots?

No. They are zoned R2, and the following uses are permitted on R2 lots with a conditional-use permit from the City of Mentor’s Planning Commission:

Family homes, churches, public schools, public facilities, cemeteries, private schools, golf courses, group homes, and other open spaces and recreational uses.

Why did the library raze the buildings at 8245 Mentor Ave. and 7525 Lauren J Drive?

In short, buildings that are designed to be homes are not easily transformed into public buildings.

Mentor Public Library purchased the property at 8245 Mentor Ave. (also known as the Read House) in 2009. In the following years, it hosted story times and book sales inside the building, as well as a host of programs on its lawn.

In 2018, the library discovered problems with the building’s foundation and other structural concerns. It investigated possible funding sources (including reaching out to the state of Ohio) to help pay for repairs, but none were found. Ultimately, it was deemed cost-prohibitive to repair the building.

Without other options, the Board voted to demolish the Read House building in 2021.A children's library associate guides kids during a nature scavenger hunt alongside the story book walk outside of our Main Branch.

Likewise, the Board investigated green-space options that preserved the building at 7525 Lauren J Drive. However, the Board ultimately decided that it made better financial and logistical sense to use the property as green space than convert the structure into an administrative building or attempt to offer library services there.

Architects estimated that it would cost between $300,000 and $500,000 to convert the building for office space, which necessitated it meeting ADA requirements. The Lake County Land Bank and Mentor Public Library each paid half the demolition cost.

As part of the Master Plan, the Lauren J property will be used for the library’s popular outdoor events and programs.

Why does the library host programs outdoors?

The library has hosted Summer Reading kickoff and finale celebrations, community art projects, nature journaling, campfires, film screenings, story times, and more on the lawn next to its Main Branch.

Outdoor programming offers several opportunities that indoor programming cannot replicate:

  • It immerses a person in nature and encourages exploration.
  • It allows for more movement.
  • It accommodates more people than can fit in even the library’s biggest meeting rooms.
  • It provides opportunities for quiet contemplation.

How can I learn more?

For more updates on the library’s future, we recommend reading our Cover to Cover newsletter. You can subscribe to it here.

Am architect's rendering of the new commons area in the renovated Main Branch. It features comfortable seating and a new stairwell to the second floor.