Name chosen for East Side library

By ELISE FRANCO

The president of the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society was disappointed in the choice.

YOUNGSTOWN — The new East Side branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County finally has a name.

The library’s board of trustees said Thursday that the sign outside the building will read “East Library,” but a plaque placed beneath the portraits of Nancy Breaden and William Breaden will designate the facility as the Breaden Family Branch of the McMillan Free Library Association.

An earlier proposal to name the new library after William Holmes McGuffey, a prominent 19th-century educator from this area, was made by Richard Scarsella, president of the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society.

Janet Loew, library spokeswoman, said the libraries are typically not named after a person, which is why the board chose not to name it after Breaden. Instead, the buildings are named by geographical location, she added.

Carlton Sears, library director, said the Breaden portraits used to hang in the old East Side branch at 6 N. Jackson St., and they will be moved to a prominent location inside the new library.

“Those portraits have been hanging in the East building for as long as anyone who works here can remember,” he said.

The relation between Nancy and William is undetermined.

Nancy Breaden, who died in 1921, left her home and entire estate to the library and requested that all money be used to benefit a designated branch. Her home, which operated as a branch of the library for some time, eventually was sold, and its proceeds were invested into the old East Branch Library.

“Ever since the Breaden Fund has been held as a separate account, the proceeds have been used for the East Branch only,” said Ralph Beard, attorney for the library board.

He said the board had an obligation to make sure all money from the sale of the old branch goes into the fund and is used to benefit the new East Branch Library.

The new branch, scheduled to be completed in November, is a 9,000-square-foot, $2.3 million facility that will be located at the corner of East High Avenue and Early Road.

It will include space for computers with Internet capability and an audio-visual section, as well as the latest technology for an early literacy room for babies, Loew said.

Scarsella said he was disappointed with the decision not to name the library after McGuffey.

“I’d like to make an arrangement to have McGuffey honored somewhere inside the library,” Scarsella said.

Loew confirmed that Sears and Scarsella previously had discussed this, although she said no decisions had been made.

efranco@vindy.com