The Detroit Public Library is the second largest

library system A library consortium is any cooperative association of libraries that coordinates resources and/or activities on behalf of its members, whether they are school, public, academic, special libraries and/or information centers. Consortia exist on a v ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

by volumes held (after the

University of Michigan Library The University of Michigan Library is the academic library system of the University of Michigan. The university's 38 constituent and affiliated libraries together make it the List of largest libraries in the United States#Largest research libraries ...

) and the 21st-largest library system (and the fourth-largest public library system) in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is composed of the Main Library on

Woodward Avenue A woodward is a warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to: Places ;United States * Woodward, Iowa * Woodward, Oklahoma * Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which bisects th ...

, which houses the library's administration offices, and 23 branch locations across the city. The Main Library is part of Detroit's

Cultural Center Historic District The Cultural Center Historic District is a historic district located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, which includes the Art Center (or Cultural Center): the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Horace H. Rackham Educatio ...

listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

adjacent to

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

campus and across from the

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation and expansion project comple ...

. Designed by

Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and ...

, the Detroit Public Library was constructed with Vermont marble and serpentine Italian marble trim in an

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

style. His son, Cass Gilbert, Jr. was a partner with Francis Keally in the design of the library's additional wings added in 1963. Among his other buildings, Cass Gilbert designed the

United States Supreme Court Building The Supreme Court Building houses the Supreme Court of the United States. Also referred to as "The Marble Palace," the building serves as the official workplace of the chief justice of the United States and the eight associate justices of th ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the

Minnesota State Capitol The Minnesota State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Minnesota, in its capital city of Saint Paul. It houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the office of the Attorney General and the office ...

and the

Woolworth Building The Woolworth Building is an early skyscraper, early American skyscraper designed by architect Cass Gilbert located at 233 Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was the tallest building in ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

History

A stand-alone public library in Detroit dates back to 1865. An 1842 state law requiring the

Detroit Board of Education Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detr ...

to open a

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

resulted in a public reading room opening on March 25, 1865 in the old Capitol High School at State and Griswold Street. In 1872, the Centre Park Library opened across the street from the current location of the Skillman Branch in downtown Detroit at Gratiot and Library Street. The first branch library opened in 1897 when the Detroit Water Commission library was opened to the public; in 1905 this library was turned over to the Detroit Library Commission. Detroit Public Library

Several additional branches opened shortly afterwards, including one in the Old Main building of

. But it was not until 1910 when

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

, the great American library philanthropist of the early 20th century, donated funds did Detroiters decide to build a larger central library to supplement Centre Park. Property near Woodward and Kirby was purchased and in 1912

was commissioned to construct his design of a three-floor, early

-style building. Due to delays and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the Main Library did not open until March 21, 1921. It was dedicated June 3, 1921. In 1937, the Detroit Public Library hired its first African-American librarian, Marjorie A. Blakistone; Blackistone worked throughout her career to expand the library's

African-American literature African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. It begins with the works of such late 18th-century writers as Phillis Wheatley. Before the high point of slave narratives, African ...

collection. The library system's bookmobile service began in 1940.Carlisle, John (Detroitblogger John).
Magic bus
." ''

Metro Times The ''Detroit Metro Times'' is a progressive alternative weekly located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. History and content Supported entirely by advertising, it is distributed ...

''. June 15, 2011. Retrieved on August 13, 2011. Public Library (NBY 10500)

After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Detroit Public Library obtained "projected books" on microfilm and loaned these with portable projectors to disabled veterans (and other patrons with disabilities) who could press a switch under their chin more easily than turning a page. The north and south wings opened on June 23, 1963 and added a significant amount of space to the building. The wings were connected along the rear of the original building and a new entrance created on Cass Avenue. Above this entrance is a mosaic by

Millard Sheets Millard Owen Sheets (June 24, 1907 – March 31, 1989) was an American artist, teacher, and architectural designer. He was one of the earliest of the California Scene Painting artists and helped define the art movement. Many of his large-scale bu ...

entitled ''The River of Knowledge''. As part of the addition, a triptych mural was added to the west wall of Adam Strohm Hall on the third floor. The mural by local artist John Stephens Coppin is entitled ''Man's Mobility'' and depicts a history of transportation. This mural complements a tryparch mural on the opposite wall completed in 1921 by Gari Melchers depicting Detroit's early history. In 1970 Clara Stanton Jones became the first African American and the first woman to serve as director of a major library system in America, as director of the Detroit Public Library. The Detroit Public Library is also a founding member of the Detroit area library network. The network initially ran the

Integrated Library System An integrated library system (ILS), also known as a library management system (LMS), is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed. An ILS usually is co ...

(online library catalog) for the library, but the library later purchased its own servers, after the mainframe computer era began to wane, and the library now runs its own systems. The library continues to be a member partner in the network consortium.

Administration

The Detroit Public Library is a publicly funded, independent, municipal corporation. The Detroit Public Library Commission, whose members are appointed by the

Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detr ...

Board of Education, is the governing authority for the system. The commission establishes policies and administers funds. There are 7 Library Commissioners, with the seventh commissioner being the current president of the Board of Education, who is an ex-officio commissioner. Library Commissioners are appointed to 6 year staggered terms. There is an annual general meeting where the president, vice president, and secretary of the commission are elected, and monthly meetings held at the Main Library which are open to the public. The commission appoints and hires the Director and Deputy Director, while all other employees are hired by the commission, upon the recommendation of the Director. September 16, 2014, former chief administrative and technology officer Timothy Cromer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a $1.5 million kickback scheme."

Collections

The Detroit Public Library offers users books, magazines, records, CDs, videos, DVDs and electronic materials through access to subscription databases. It also houses the Burton Historical Collection (named for historian and donor Clarence M. Burton), th
E. Azalia Hackley Collection
(named for

Emma Azalia Hackley Emma Azalia Hackley, also known as E. Azalia Hackley and Azalia Smith Hackley (1867–1922), was a concert soprano, newspaper editor, teacher, and political activist. An African American, she promoted racial pride through her support and promotio ...

), and the National Automotive History Collection. Additionally, there are online collections, including one on Detroit Tigers and Baseball Hall of Fame radio broadcaster

Ernie Harwell William Earnest Harwell (January 25, 1918 – May 4, 2010) was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 seasons, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the actio ...

. Th
Ernie Harwell Online Exhibit
is part of the Burton Historical Collection. Th
Detroit Public Library Online Catalog

Services

The library also offers practical advice to Detroiters through their TIP service, short fo
The Information Place
Librarians and support staff have access to a TIP database and offer free community information and referral service on matters such as food, housing, transportation, financial aid, legal advice, education, counseling, health care and family support. Library clients can search the TIP database themselves when visiting the library.

Gallery

File:Detroit April 2008 219.JPG, Main entrance of the Italian Renaissance-style building File:DetroitPublicLibrarymainfromcass.jpg, Detroit Public Library, Cass Avenue entrance File:Library Mosaic Closeup.jpg, Detail of the Mosaic above the Cass Avenue entrance File:Detroit Public Library July 2018 17 (Pewabic fireplace).jpg, Pewabic fireplace in the HYPE Teen Center File:Detroit Public Library July 2018 03 (HYPE Teen Center).jpg, HYPE Teen Center File:Detroit Public Library July 2018 14 (Children's Library).jpg, Children's Library File:Detroit Public Library July 2018 15 (Burton Historical Collection).jpg, Burton Historical Collection File:Skillman Branch Detroit Public Library.jpg, Skillman Branch, opened in 1932 on the site of the Centre Park Branch File:Detlib2.jpg, Skillman Branch seen from the aptly named Library Street File:Detlib.jpg, Skillman Branch reopened in 2006 after renovations

Branches

" ''Detroit Public Library''. Retrieved on April 26, 2009. The Douglass Branch for Specialized Services is the base of operations for the bookmobile service, and it also houses the Library for the Blind and the Physically Handicapped and other special services. The quotes on the outside of the Skillman Branch read, per side: Gratiot Avenue : "The Fountain of Knowledge Flows Through Books" Library Street Side: "The Wealth Of The Mind Is The Only True Wealth" Grand River Street Side : "Religion, Knowledge, Morality" Farmer Street Side: "Civilization is the Accumulated Culture of Mankind" Chandler Park, in the Eastside of Detroit, is a three-story facility built in 1957. The library, which has a collection specializing in books written by

African-Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

, is located on Harper Avenue, in proximity to Dickerson Street. The interior, , is decorated with artwork from children living in the area and portraits of notable African-American people. In 2009 John Carlisle (Detroitblogger John) wrote in the ''

'' that most of its patrons go to the library to use its computers.

Former branches

* John S. Gray Branch * Bernard Ginsburg Branch (Closed in 1927 and turned over to Recreation Department.) * Gabriel Richard Branch (Was located on 9876 Grand River/Stoepel. Closed due to budget cuts on December 22, 2011) * George Van Ness Lothrop Branch (At the southwest corner of West Warren Avenue and West Grand Boulevard-demolished October 2009) * George Osius Branch * Henry M. Utley Branch ( 8726 Woodward Avenue, now "The Family Place". ) * Magnus Butzel Branch (At the southwest corner of Harper Avenue (I-94 Service Road) and East Grand Boulevard; demolished in 1998) * Mark Twain Library (Closed and Relocated to Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in 1996. Demolished October 2011) * Mark Twain Annex (Closed due to budget cuts on December 22, 2011. Located at 4741 Iroquois) * George S. Hosmer Branch (Opened January 11, 1911 and closed May 30, 1932. Located at 3506 Gratiot Avenue. Purchased in 2016 and planned to be a bookstore and café.)Woodford, Frank B. ″Parnassus on Main Street: A History of the Detroit Public Library. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1965.

References

External links

Official Detroit Public Library website
— ''includes a history of the Detroit Public Library and information on branches and access to the online catalogue.
TIP (The Information Place)

Selected Cass Gilbert Architectural Drawings of the Detroit Public Library
at

Library contains 19 presentation drawings by Cass Gilbert of the Detroit Public Library, which he designed in 1921. * Th
Ernie Harwell Online Exhibit
* Th

* ttp://mmm.lib.msu.edu/search/browsecollections.cfm?t=2&col=48%20 The Making of Modern Michigan {{authority control Public libraries in Michigan Libraries in Detroit Carnegie libraries in Michigan Education in Detroit Government of Detroit Historic district contributing properties in Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites in Wayne County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Cass Gilbert buildings Renaissance Revival architecture in Michigan 1865 establishments in Michigan Library buildings completed in 1921 Libraries established in 1865