The Detroit Public Library is the second largest

library system A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

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 so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

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 second largest research library by number of volumes in the United Sta ...

) and the 12th-largest public library system in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is composed of the Main Library on

Woodward Avenue A woodward is a Game warden, 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 b ...

, 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 listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

adjacent to

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

campus and across from the

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is a museum institution located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It has list of largest art museums, one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it cove ...

. Designed by

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

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

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

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, the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. The building serves as the official workplace of the Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice o ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, the

Minnesota State Capitol The Minnesota State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Minnesota, in its capital (political), capital city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul. It houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the offic ...

and the

Woolworth Building The Woolworth Building is a residential building and early skyscraper at 233 Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Cass Gilbert, it was the tallest building in the world f ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

History

A stand-alone public library in Detroit dates back to 1865. An 1842 state law requiring the Detroit Board of Education to open a

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

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 Wayne State University. 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 History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

, the great American library

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

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 Cass Gilbert was commissioned to construct his design of a three-floor, early Italian Renaissance-style building. Due to delays and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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. Blackistone; 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. Phillis Wheatley was an enslaved African woman who became the first African American to publish a book of poetry, which was publis ...

collection. The library system's bookmobile service began in 1940.Carlisle, John (Detroitblogger John) (June 15, 2011)
"Magic bus"
. ''

Metro Times The ''Detroit Metro Times'' is a progressive alternative weekly newspaper located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. The ''Metro Times'' was an official sponsor of the now-defunct De ...

''. Retrieved August 13, 2011. Ralph Ulveling was Director from 1941 to 1967. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 b ...

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 Clara Stanton Jones (May 14, 1913 – September 30, 2012) was the first African-American president of the American Library Association, serving as its acting president from April 11 to July 22 in 1976 and then its president from July 22, 1976 ...

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 Clara Stanton Jones Friends Auditorium is named in her honor. 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 is usually ...

(online library catalog) for the library, but the library later purchased its own servers, after the

mainframe computer A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise ...

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 serves Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, and high school students in Highland Park, Michigan. The district, which replaced the original Detroit Public Schools (DPS) in 2016, ...

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
The Detroit Public Library catalog
can be viewed online. The Main Library houses th
Burton Historical Collection
(named for historian and donor Clarence M. Burton), th
E. Azalia Hackley Collection
(named for Emma Azalia Hackley), th
Rare Book Collection
and th
Ernie Harwell Sports Collection
Skillman Branch houses th
National Automotive History Collection
Additionally, a selection of digitized materials are available in a
online collection

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. Locations
" ''Detroit Public Library''. Retrieved on April 22, 2024.

Chandler Park Branch

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 known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

, 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.

Frederick Douglass Branch, Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

The Douglass Branch for Specialized Services is the base of operations for th
bookmobile service
It also houses the Library for the Blind and the Physically Handicapped and other special services.

Skillman Branch

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"

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.)

References

External links

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