Literary Travel – Cincinnati* Edition

*Ok, my literary travel was technically in Kentucky and Ohio, but they were in the Metro- Northern Kentucky-Cincinnati area.

Hi Everyone!

About three months ago, my husband and I went to Cincinnati, Ohio for his childhood friend’s wedding. We decided to make it a vacation because of neither of us had been there before. We did a bunch of things like go to two book-related places that I want to show you all! All of the photos used were ones that I took.

First up is the Campbell County Public Library, Newport Branch in Newport, Kentucky.

The Campbell County Public Library system was established on September 5, 1978. It’s comprised of four branches – Cold Spring, Carrico/Fort Thomas, Alexandria, and Newport – all in the namesake county as well as three library express locations where patrons can pick up and drop off items in the cities of Melbourne, Silver Grove, and Newport.

We had a lot of time to kill before we went to a welcome party in Covington, so we went to the Newport Branch, which was established on May 16, 2004. We’ll make sure to celebrate its 20th anniversary next year!

When we walked inside, it became clear that it was a fairly simple library. Even though it didn’t have a lot of frills, their organizational skills were through the roof. Everywhere I went contained well-placed and eye-catching signs indicating where what books were located there and what types as well as nice displays. My personal favorites were the easy reader labels for the children’s section. They divided the books into themes like “Concepts,” “Farms,” “Dinosaurs,” etc., with the corresponding image.

The juvenile area also had some beautiful murals, including one that says, “Books are the quietest and consistent of friends.”

In addition, that section even had a dollhouse and a small table, where children could play checkers!

The adult side of the library had a similar organization with its signs and other visual cues to indicate what kind of items they had. For example, their DVD and music CDs sections had color-coded labels showing what genre they were in.

A unique aspect that the library had was the Kentucky Talking Book Library. This provides free library service to those who can’t read traditional print due to visual, physical, or reading disability. They contain audio and Braille materials and are sent to patrons physically or digitally.

Another thing that made the library stand out was that it displayed art made by students at The Children’s Art Academy. It also had an initiative to welcome refugees and immigrants during its Welcome Week, which was to be held later in September. The latter was a collaboration with the Kentucky Refugee Ministries.

When I needed to sit, the there were plenty of chairs (with and without cushions), and they were comfortable. My husband can attest. He was sitting in one of them during the time that I was looking around.

Finally, I appreciated its sense of humor. When we first walked into the library, my husband and I encountered this sign. It was very amusing.

To top that off, their mascot Cam the Library Lion was wearing this for the library’s Summer Reading program.

Overall, even though it wasn’t the flashiest of libraries I’ve been in, I was impressed with the amount of organization. I knew exactly what items were in front of me at all times. Additionally, I appreciate how it tries to actively engage its community in a variety of ways as well as its sense of humor. Along with their website, you can check them out on Facebook and the platform formally known as Twitter!

And now, the second and last book-related of the trip: The Book Bus Depot!

Located in Sharonville, Ohio, it’s a brick and mortar bookstore, where the Book Bus resides. Owner Melanie Moore takes said book bus – a 1962 Volkswagen pickup truck – to various parts of the Cincinnati area to get people interested in reading, especially children. The truck carries tons of books, and there’s a map in the store that shows where it goes. As a former school teacher, Melanie even transfers profits from The Book Bus and “buys new children’s books for low income area schools and organizations to give all children the opportunity to experience the joy of reading.”

On our last day in Cincinnati on a Sunday, my husband and I were lucky to not only see the Book Bus in the flesh, but also to meet various people who review books on Instagram as well as Melanie herself!

The book reviewers at the store were a welcoming community that always absorbs new members no matter where they are. Even one of those bookstagrammers Alyson Wick mentioned later on that they always meet a person who happens to adore books at The Book Bus Depot. You should follow her as well as Alexandra, Becky, Melissa, Jenn, and Rose!

Melanie was a sweet lady, who clearly cares about the importance of reading. She even allows kids to pick out one free book from a special compartment in the check-out desk.

As for the store itself, it only consists of one space, yet it’s spacious. The shelves are located along the walls and are well labeled like for used books as well as ones published by Persephone Books – a woman-owned publisher based outside of London that can only be found in the United States at The Book Bus Depot.

The bookstore also had some lovely displays. They occasionally had cards written by staff members about the books they’ve read.

There were too many things that I loved about The Book Bus Depot, but one of the impressive things about it was the check-out desk that was designed to look like the book bus itself! I spent over $100 on books and a bag at that store, and I don’t regret it.

Overall, The Book Bus Depot is a wonderful bookstore that everybody should go to if they are ever in the Cincinnati area. It’s a run by a person who deeply cares about the importance of reading, and the store and the bus demonstrate that. The store is a welcoming place, where one could meet various book nerds of all kinds and stay in touch with them. Along with their website, you can check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

And that concludes the fourth installment of “Literary Travel!” I hope all of you had a great time on this trip. I hope to have another one to Las Vegas in the new year, so stay tuned for that!

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