Upcoming Events

In 1970, Petie Brown, a trumpeter and young lesbian, got a part-time bartending job at Jack's A Go-Go to support her aspiring singing career. Word spread fast that a lesbian was behind the bar, and soon Jack's began attracting lesbian women in scores. Petie left the bar along the way, but the word was out, and the bar's owners welcomed ... Read More

The inaugural class of 2023 Rickenbacker-Woods Foundation and Learning Center's Creators, Originators, and Innovators cordially invite you to celebrate Granville T. Woods Day! Honoring his legacy, the Rickenbacker-Woods Foundation will reveal new research on this prolific African American inventor's life and his connections to the city of his birth, Columbus. History in the making! This event has been organized and ... Read More

Bring your family history and central Ohio history questions to your local branch for this drop-in program to meet with Local History and Genealogy staff.

Join us to help document and preserve local history during this community event! Share your memories of Springfield by bringing family photos and records and get them digitized for free! We'll sit down with you to scan your photos and listen to the stories behind them. After the event, these digitized photos will be available for the public to view. ... Read More

Where do negative perceptions about dementia and its impact on patients and families come from? Join us for a free virtual event that will explore how these perceptions come about, and if they line up with the real-life experiences of people living with dementia and their family members. Our goal is to increase people’s understanding of dementia and reduce the ... Read More

Humanities Happy Hour is a quarterly gathering hosted by Ohio Humanities. Anyone who is passionate about the humanities is welcome to attend, including cultural workers, museum professionals, humanities instructors, and graduate students. The June Happy Hour will be a networking event and include several mini-presentations from Ohio Humanities grantees. Networking starts at 4:30pm, with mini-presentations beginning at 5:00pm. $5 suggested ... Read More

The Oberlin–Wellington Rescue of 1858 was a key event in the history of abolitionism leading up to the Civil War in which a group of 37-white and black men in Ohio were charged with violating the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This is the first time that a ‘higher law’ defense was used in a federal court case.John Price, who ... Read More

Bring your family history and central Ohio history questions to your local branch for this drop-in program to meet with Local History and Genealogy staff.

In the tradition of the American Chautauqua, the Ashland, Ohio Chautauqua allows audiences to witness history in its most compelling form - first person historical portrayals. Nationally recruited scholar-actors take on the roles of historical figures, appearing in costume and presenting exciting living history performances. Concurrent with these performances, and again in keeping with the Chautauqua tradition, Ashland Chautauqua also ... Read More

The Columbus Book Festival is in the heart of the city’s downtown Discovery District. Stay cool inside Main Library and hear 135 popular authors talk about their work. Check out over 50 panel discussions about your favorite genres and get your books signed. Shop local by buying featured authors’ new books from the Official Festival Bookstore and get great deals ... Read More

This is a cultural event featuring citizens from the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and Wyandotte Nation. These young dynamic speakers will be available for two days to discuss and inform visitors about their tribal heritage and culture from a past a present-day perspective. Saturday’s events will include interactive historic programming featuring Shawnee, Miami, and Wyandotte ... Read More