The Mercer County District Library has been part of the Southeastern Ohio Regional Library System (SEO) since 2001.  SEO is a branch of the State Library of Ohio that administers a library automation consortium for over 200 library locations across the state.  Since the Mercer County District Library and its branches joined SEO, library patrons have gained access to over 10 million items.  Patrons are also able to access the libraries’ automated card catalogs via the Internet at www.MercerLibrary.org, allowing them to search for items and place reserves from home.

Imagine going online and shopping your favorite bookstore for all the books, videos, DVDs and CDs you want, waiting a few days and picking them up using your library card…not spending a cent.  Patrons are able to request any given item from any of the library locations and usually have it in a couple of days.  The wait for items in high demand, such as best sellers and newly released videos and DVDs, is cut tremendously since so many copies are available throughout the system.  Patrons are able to place holds on any title that is on the system, including many titles that are not yet released This enables patrons to ensure a place at the top of the list on their favorite author’s new book.

The Mercer County District Library has been serving the communities of Mercer County for over 100 years. The first library was started by the Shakespearian Club in 1899. With help from the Carnegie foundation a Carnegie library was built in 1907. In 1968, a new larger facility was built on the former site of the Carnegie Library. In 1994 the Mercer County District Library completed an addition and renovation to better serve the communities. Over the years the Mercer County District Library has extended its service area by opening branches in Mendon, St. Henry, and Chickasaw. All three branches have also completed expansions and/or renovations within the last 10 years. In 1990, the library began the process of automating the library’s collection and by 1997, the library was completely automated. The automation of the library was only the beginning of the technological presence in today’s library. In 2015 a set of renovations were completed that updated the look and feel of both the adult and children’s libraries.