Toledo Library announces closure of branch

TOLEDO, Ohio — Operational and organizational changes are coming to the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library system, after the library said the state’s biennium budget has prevented it from continuing as usual. 

During a Toledo Library Board meeting Thursday, board members approved the closing of the Toledo Heights branch on Jan. 2, 2026. A paper handed out at the meeting described the Toledo Heights closure as a consolidation between the branch and the the Heatherdowns Branch. 

The Library cited lagging foot traffic at the Toledo Height branch as the reason for selecting the branch. It said Toledo Heights sees about 36,000 annual visitors – about a third of the annual visits to the nearby Kent Library branch, which sees more than 100,000 annual visitors. Program attendance and materials circulation are also lower than other branches, the board said. 

 Board members said the state’s biennium budget, which was decried by the library for its funding cuts to libraries, was part of the reason for the closure. 

“The biennium budget leaves us no choice but to reduce expenses with painful cuts to our services,” the library wrote in a handout at the board meeting. 

According to the library, this cut has reduced the Toledo Library’s funding by $1.6 million over the next two years, on top of an existing $2.8 million deficit. 

The Library also said it hopes to move the Heatherdowns branch to form the new, consolidated branch, as the branch is busy but expanding it isn’t possible. The new branch will be 1.5 miles from both the Heatherdowns and Toledo Heights branches in a “high-visibility” area, the Library said. The Heatherdowns branch currently sees more than 100,000 visits per year. 

This new location is expected to open in 2028, and Heatherdowns as it is now will remain open until then. The consolidated branch will allow the organization to serve both neighborhoods while saving money by only paying the operating expenses of a single building, the Library said. 

The Library is also changing the operating hours of some of its buildings. Despite the anticipated money saved by the consolidation, the library said further reductions were needed to meet declining revenue. They said these changes were made based on proximity to other branches: communities who can likely go to another nearby branch were the ones with impact branches. 

Changes to operating hours are included below. They will take effect on Jan. 2, 2026. 

M – Tu. | 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
W – Th. | noon – 8:30 p.m.
F – Sa. | 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Holland, King, Waterville

M – Tu | noon – 8:30 p.m.
W – F |9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Mobile Services
M – F | 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

All other branches will not have changes to their operating hours. 

The Library also said it has reduced expenses by freezing administrative pay, offering retirement options and reduced other operational expenses by nearly $900,000. 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional information.