Columbus library brings owls, hawks and falcons to summer reading event
A Hilliard library room turned into a live raptor lesson as kids met owls, hawks and falcons from the Ohio School of Falconry.
The Columbus Metropolitan Library brought the Ohio School of Falconry into Hilliard Meeting Room 1A on July 1, giving children ages 7 to 11 a live-animal lesson inside its Summer Reading Challenge. The hourlong Raptor Roadshow ran from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the library telling groups to call ahead for the program.
The setup was exactly the kind of setting that works for falconry outreach: a tight, supervised room where a child can see a raptor’s structure up close instead of only reading about it. The program promised owls, hawks and falcons, and the description centered on raptor ecology, predator-prey roles and conservation while teaching the differences among the birds. For young readers, that is a stronger hook than a paperback checklist. It ties the Summer Reading Challenge to real biology, real hunting adaptations and the basic vocabulary that matters in the field.
The Ohio School of Falconry brought more than just birds to the library. The school says it was founded in 2014 and is based at historic Camp Mary Orton in the Olentangy Highbanks area of Columbus. It is licensed at both the state and federal levels and offers school and school-group education programs in Ohio, which puts this roadshow squarely in the hands-on education lane rather than a one-off show-and-tell.
That matters in a state where falconry remains a tightly regulated craft. Ohio’s falconry permit is issued on a three-year basis and costs $75, and Ohio’s guidance says an apprentice must be sponsored for two years by a licensed general or master falconer. Those rules help explain why outreach like this carries weight: it is one of the few ways many families ever see the discipline up close.
The timing fit the library’s broader summer push. Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Summer Reading Challenge ran from June 1 through July 31, 2026, and the system has built its reputation on programs that bring families back through the doors. This one did it with live birds, a packed room in Hilliard and a direct bridge from reading into raptor conservation.
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