EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of a weekly series on our region’s history coordinated by the Trumbull County Historical Society.

The McKinley Memorial Library in Niles is special for many reasons.

Its historic location in the beautiful National McKinley Birthplace Memorial certainly makes it unique, as does its proprietorship of the McKinley Birthplace Home. The library’s programs, services, and materials — including books, bocce and pickleball sets, and OH WOW! Museum passes — are also noteworthy. However, the heart of the library has always been its people: both the staff who keep everything running smoothly and the patrons who fill the space with their vibrant curiosity, bold dreams and interesting conversations.

Miss Ida E. Sloan, head librarian of the Niles Public Library (as it was still called when she began her tenure), was a case in point. Though not the first, Miss Sloan was the longest-serving head librarian in the history of the library. She began her career in 1911 and continued to lead the library until 1953. As the Niles Historical Society phrased it, “She was a very dedicated person and to the people of Niles she WAS the library.”

Sloan was born in Pennsylvania in 1882, according to U.S census records. The Niles Daily News reported that she graduated from Blairsville College of Pennsylvania as well as the Drexell Institute Library School. She taught at a public school before working as an assistant librarian in Sewickley, Pa.

The Niles Daily News reported that the library board selected Sloan to be the Niles librarian in October of 1911. She seemed to settle into her new role quickly. In a report published in The Niles Daily News on Jan. 25, 1912, just a few short months after her hire date, she began to argue for increased funding: “Should not a larger appropriation be made for the Library in view of its vast importance to the community?” Sloan’s passion and dedication helped the Niles Public Library thrive in spite of the many challenges and changes it faced over the next several decades.

By 1916, the south wing of the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial had been designated as the new home of the Niles Public Library. Sloan eagerly anticipated moving the little library into its new space, urging the community to help it “grow rapidly into a library worthy of such a magnificent building, and of the birthplace of our honored William McKinley,” as she was quoted in The Niles Daily News on Jan. 18, 1916. However, the library would not be able to move into the memorial for over a year — and more challenges lay ahead.

In May of 1916, according to the Niles Historical Society’s website, the library was obliged to move from its original location on Furnace Street (now known as State Street) to a temporary location on what are now the memorial grounds. This new building presented its own set of challenges, particularly as the memorial opening date neared. On May 4, 1917, The Niles Daily News reported that the library would have to close temporarily as workers prepared to tear down the building. Finally, on Nov. 22, 1917, the McKinley Memorial Association authorized the library to resume regular hours in its permanent home.

In a Niles Library Association meeting recounted by The Niles Daily News on Jan. 18, 1916, Sloan stated that her goal was “to make the library count as never before as a factor in the welfare and happiness of the people of Niles.” She never wavered from her pursuit of this goal. While the citizens of Niles, with the rest of the nation, faced serious conflicts and struggles — including World War I, the Great Depression, World War II and the Korean War — they could always depend upon their library.

Sloan shared regular year-end reports with the local newspaper. A comparison of the statistics from the year she was hired with those from her final full year shows how much the library grew under her leadership.

In 1911, the year she was hired, there were 2,551 registered borrowers; 3,535 books in the library collection; and $2,146.69 in library receipts (not including fines for overdue books and fees from non-residents).

In 1952, her last full year of service, there were 6,779 registered borrowers; 33,504 books in the library collection; and $27,436.17 in library receipts.

Announcing her impending retirement in a Niles Daily Times article published Oct. 14, 1953, Sloan praised the “wonderful library boards and the members of the library staff. Without their support, I could never have succeeded.”