The new Fairlawn-Bath Branch Library is part of the Akron-Summit County library system. The new building replaced the older McDowell Branch Library at the same location. The McDowell Branch had its roots in the Bath Branch which opened in 1964 in an old house on Ira Road. Bath Branch became part of the Akron system in April 1966. In 1967 the branch was expanded through renovation of a small barn behind the house called The Book Barn. A new branch at the present location to serve Bath, Copley Township and Fairlawn Village was dedicated on December 12, 1971. It was named for C. Blake McDowell, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Akron-Summit County Library System from 1932 until his retirement in 1976. The building won a Civic Design Award in May 1972. Current library statistics indicate that Fairlawn-Bath Branch in 2009 has 28,953 registered borrowers, circulated 490,705 items and has a collection size of 83,027 books and other materials.