For the seventh straight year, Ohio’s public libraries were ranked
first in the country, according to the American Public Library Rating.
According to this story in Business First, this recognition came in light of a review of circulation, funding, staffing and other considerations While
this comes as no surprise to Ohioans, there are other benefits to your
Ohio library card -- particularly for those with cards for member
libraries in the Ohio Public Library Information Network (or OPLIN).
With that card comes access to OPLIN’s online collection of Sanborn
Fire Insurance Maps. 
Sanborn maps are a treasure trove of information for historians, preservationists and others. Originally designed to pinpoint needed information to fix fire insurance coverage, these highly detailed maps also served as information resources for a variety of civic efforts. The maps were lithographed, and then bound in volumes – and each Ohio city of any size was mapped at various points between 1867 and 1970.
Looking through a Sanborn Map is a step back in time. Shown are the outlines of each structure in a given section of a community, the locations of windows, doors, street widths, building height (and number of stories), manner of construction, flooring and roofing materials, and much more. Included as well are identified uses for buildings – in 1889, for instance, the “scenery and stage” are clearly outlined in the Newark Opera House on West Main Street in downtown Newark, while the steam pipes leading from the County Jail to the Darke County Courthouse are marked in the 1905 Sanborn map of downtown Greenville.
The easiest way to access these maps is at the website of your local library, or visit OPLIN online. Have your card handy just in case.
Photos: Sanborn Map, Greenville and Darke County Courthouse, Greenville/Public Domain