Beyond the Shelf with Orrville Public Library

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!

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!

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:

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!

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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 on this journey across our nation! 

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.

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:

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Grab the popcorn and enjoy a movie from the library! Find out about how you can check out movies from the library and the Hoopla app in this episode of Beyond the Shelf.

In honor of President's Day, we took a look at the history of U.S. presidents to find some fun and interesting facts about them. Who enjoyed a variety of animals? Who was left handed? Find out in this episode.

For OPL's 100th anniversary, we spoke with 'the brains of the operation' Pearl, who has seen many changes in the library over the years.

It's our 100th anniversary! Dawn and Jenny took the opportunity to talk to Daphne, the library director, about activities and events to celebrate the past and imagine the future happening in 2025.

Mark your calendar for April 7, 2025 - Centennial Celebration Kickoff.

Stop by the library to learn more about the 100 Challenges.

Tune in for conversation about book monsters and mythical creatures in this Halloween-themed episode. We also chat with Ohio author Greg Scheetz about his new cryptid creature A to Z book, Bigfoot Walks Barefoot.

Graphic novels are getting noticed so it's time to get into some great titles. Jenny and Dawn discuss several graphic novels for all ages in this month's episode.

Titles from this episode include:

The Cookbook Club is a longstanding group at OPL. Dawn and Jenny sat down with the club's coordinator, Corrie, to talk about the highs and lows of cooking and the comradery that food brings.

Some moments will be memories forever … like meeting your heroes! Dawn and Jenny share their own and others' experiences of meeting people they admire in this episode.

Dawn and Jenny from OPL sat down with Dawn and Jenny from the Orrville Area United Way to chat about nonprofits, Dolly Parton, and more.

Two well-known celebrities' books, debatably alike in dignity, in this fair podcast where we lay our scene.

Happy New Year! In this episode we're exploring our resolutions including our reading goals. Learn some ways to reach your goals in the new year and find some fun reading prompts for your next reading challenge.

It's Christmas time again! Dawn & Jenny share their conversation with historical fiction novelist Patti Flinn whose newest historical fiction novel "The Greatest Thing" released on 11/30/2023.

They reflect on their Christmas movies challenges from last year as well as discussing some nontraditional Christmas movies and lesser-known holiday books.

Stepping out of our favorite book genres can be hard so Jenny and Dawn challenged themselves to read new genres. Sometimes going beyond your usual shelves turns out to be a great choice.

Music reaches into many parts of life including the library. Dawn and Jenny spent some time discussing their favorite musicians, music themed movies, and books. Let us know some of your favorite misheard lyrics in the Q&A section.

Beyond the Shelf with OPL is one year old! We're so excited! Dawn and Jenny decided to pass the microphone to the rest of the OPL staff. Get to know the staff from each department, what they do, and a bit about them as well. Thank you to all of you, the listeners, for making this first year so fantastic!

1st Anniversary Giveaway - Pick up a trivia sheet from the Information Desk. When completed, return it to receive a Beyond the Shelf pinback button, and be entered to win an exclusive Beyond the Shelf mug. The giveaway contest runs from September 1-30, 2023.

This month is a gathering of Thriller titles from across the literary world. Jenny and Dawn discuss classic thriller and mystery books and favorite shows. We are pleased to share a conversation with young adult author Mindy McGinnis who has written a number of titles in the thriller genre as well as historical fiction and fantasy.

Summer is in full swing and fun activities are not hard to find... especially in Orrville. In this episode we've got summer book and activity suggestions for everyone. What do you like to read and do in the Summer?

Summer has finally arrived and that means it's time for Summer Reading at OPL! In this episode we talk to local author and leadership expert Tim Hiller about his book Strive and the importance of serving your community. All the details of OPL Summer events are shared by library staff, Nicholas and Tammy, including the launch of the Library on the Go! Van, the Summer Reading Program, and lots of fun activities for everyone.

Aliens, robots, monsters, and superheroes … We're talking science fiction this time around. Join us as we discuss the history of sci-fi and some of our favorite and least favorite books and films across this genre. This past October, Dawn & Jenny had the opportunity to talk to some of the cosplayers from the Ohio Garrison of the 501st Legion during OPL's annual Fandom Week.

In anticipation of the library's Second Annual Local Author Festival, we're discussing Ohio authors and their notable books. The state of Ohio has a wealth of authors from the familiar to others that may surprise. 

In this episode Jenny interviews Dawn, our Teen Services Specialist, about everything YA (Young Adult). We discuss great YA reads and how we make OPL a place for teenagers and students in middle and high school. We've all been there, in the awkward teenager stages, which means YA books are for everyone. Take a listen and maybe you'll find a YA book that you love. 

Holiday traditions vary from family to family. We discuss some of our favorite holiday traditions including baking, stories, and classic movies. We'd love to hear about  your traditions and favorite Christmas movies on our Facebook page. 

In this episode, we've included a few more interviews with local artists that we recorded at our Local Artists Festival on October 22, 2022. The final interviews will be a part of our January episode.

Artists: