Library director to retire next year

Heights Libraries Director Nancy Levin at the Feb. 16 Coventry PEACE Playground ribbon cutting.

At the March 17 meeting of the Heights Libraries board,  Director Nancy Levin announced her upcoming retirement in February 2026. Levin has served as director of Heights Libraries since 2008 and has been a librarian since 1998.

“I promised the board that I would give them plenty of time to search for my successor and create an orderly transition,” Levin said.

Levin said she is very proud of her time as director, steering the library, and its budget, through the Great Recession, the COVID pandemic, and numerous construction projects, all while reaching many strategic goals, including a robust DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility) agenda.

“Through Nancy's leadership and years of dedicated service, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Libraries has strengthened our role as an inclusive space that welcomes all residents of our community,” said Library Board President Annette Iwamoto. “The library board is grateful for her vision and commitment that will have a lasting impact.”

Levin’s tenure has featured significant building renovations and improvements. The old YMCA gymnasium was converted into the HKIC, a state-of-the-art computer lab for the Lee Road branch, in 2013, and the Dobama Theatre space in the HKIC building was also built out at that time. Both the University Heights and Noble Neighborhood branches were updated and significantly expanded, in 2017 and 2024 respectively, and the Coventry Village branch’s lower level was transformed into program and meeting spaces in 2022.

“I tried very hard to keep pace with the growing needs of our neighborhoods during my time here,” said Levin. “For example, with so much of our lives moving online, we expanded our public computer spaces and technology trainings to ensure our customers did not get left behind.”

Levin’s focus on making technology accessible went hand in hand with her focus on, and support of, workforce development tools and programs. Programs teaching resume writing and interview skills have become regular offerings at the library, and online tools such as JobNow and VetNow offer job seekers, including veterans, free career coaching.

Levin is proud of helping convince the city of Cleveland Heights to drop the “special” youth curfew for business districts that began in 2011. Levin began her library career as a teen librarian and opposed the curfew from the beginning.

“My concern was that the curfew, that started at 6 p.m. for young people in the Cedar Lee and Coventry areas, would discourage teens and tweens from coming to the library,” said Levin. “I was thrilled when it ended.”

Levin’s later years with the library were at times marked by turmoil over the status of the Coventry PEACE Building, which Heights Libraries acquired in 2018 from the CH-UH school district, along with the park and parking lot adjacent to the Coventry Village Library.

Levin, along with the library board, said the building should be closed to “stop the bleeding of public funds into a building that was less than half occupied and which needed millions in renovations to make it safe for the future.”

At the same time the PEACE building was being closed, the library was renovating PEACE Park, including the 30-year-old playground. The new playground opened with a ribbon cutting on Feb. 16, and the park will be completed at the end of June.

“With a third of the funding for the park coming from donations from the community, we are fulfilling the community’s desire to keep and restore this central green space. It will continue to be an accessible gathering place and serve the mission of the Library for decades to come,” Levin said. “A mini-urban forest, a walking path, a storybook loop, shady seating, as well as the playground and stage will make the park a destination to connect with nature and culture, and revitalize the Coventry neighborhood.

“None of this happens in a vacuum. The team of staff members at our library is the best! They understand the importance of making everyone feel welcome and filling information needs for all. My successor will be very lucky to work with our staff.”

Iwamoto said a national search will be conducted to replace Levin.