The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County will celebrate the 200th birthday of Reuben McMillan with a live-streamed Facebook event at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
McMillan was born on Oct. 7, 1820 in Canfield. He was a school superintendent and one of the Library’s founding fathers. McMillan’s vision was to make books and library materials available to all people in the community, not just to students in the schools. With this, he helped lay the foundation for the Mahoning County library system still in existence today.
The event will cover McMillan’s history and legacy and explore how the renovation of Main Library follows in his footsteps in ways he could not have imagined 200 years ago. In addition, it will include a capital campaign for the Main Library Renovation Project, and an upcoming public service area within the Main Library to serve patrons while construction is underway.
Dr. David Ritchie, president, Library Board of Trustees; Aimee Fifarek, Library executive director; Tim Bresnahan, Library trustee; and Deborah Liptak, Library development director will speak at the event.
A video detailing the life of Reuben McMillan will be available Oct. 7 on the Library’s website, and via social media. Fifarek opens the video and Tim Seman, genealogy and local history librarian, walks viewers through McMillan’s life, up to his monument in Oak Hill Cemetery.
October is a significant month for the Public Library, which was officially incorporated as the Youngstown Library Association on Oct. 27, 1880. The association name was changed to the Reuben McMillan Free Library Association on March 5, 1898, to honor McMillan, who passed away on June 23 of that year. His name is etched in limestone on the facade of the Main Library, 305 Wick Ave.
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