Detroit Public Library

Last updated

Detroit Public Library
Detroit Public Library logo.png
DetroitLibrary2010.jpg
Detroit Public Library
Location5201 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Michigan
Established1865;159 years ago (1865)
Branches21
Collection
Size7,572,562
Access and use
Population served918,849
Other information
DirectorJo Anne Mondowney
Website http://www.detroitpubliclibrary.org
Detroit Public Library
Built1921, 1963
Architect Cass Gilbert
Architectural style Italian Renaissance
Part of Cultural Center Historic District (ID83003791)
Significant dates
Designated CPNovember 21, 1983
Designated MSHSJanuary 24, 1964 [1]

The Detroit Public Library is the second largest library system in the U.S. state of Michigan by volumes held (after the University of Michigan Library) and the 12th-largest public library system in the United States. [2] It is composed of the Main Library on Woodward Avenue, 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 adjacent to Wayne State University campus and across from the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Contents

Designed by Cass Gilbert, the Detroit Public Library was constructed with Vermont marble and serpentine Italian marble trim in an Italian Renaissance 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 in Washington, D.C., the Minnesota State Capitol and the Woolworth Building in New York City. [3]

History

A stand-alone public library in Detroit dates back to 1865. [4] An 1842 state law requiring the Detroit Board of Education to open a library 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.

The first library building, constructed in 1872 at Centre Park Detroit Public Library.jpg
The first library building, constructed in 1872 at Centre Park

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, 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 Cass Gilbert was commissioned to construct his design of a three-floor, early Italian Renaissance-style building. Due to delays and World War I, the Main Library did not open until March 21, 1921. It was dedicated June 3, 1921. [5] 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 collection. [6] The library system's bookmobile service began in 1940. [7]

Ralph Ulveling was Director from 1941 to 1967.

Detroit Public Library depicted on a postcard Public Library (NBY 10500).jpg
Detroit Public Library depicted on a postcard

After World War II, 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. [8]

The north and south wings opened on June 23, 1963, and added a significant amount of space to the building. [9] 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 entitled The River of Knowledge. [10] 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. [9]

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. [11]

The Detroit Public Library is also a founding member of the Detroit Area Library Network. The network initially ran the Integrated Library System (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. [12]

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 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." [13] [14]

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), the E. Azalia Hackley Collection Archived September 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (named for Emma Azalia Hackley), 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. The Ernie Harwell Online Exhibit is part of the Burton Historical Collection. The Detroit Public Library Online Catalog

Services

The library also offers practical advice to Detroiters through their TIP service, short for 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.

Branches

[15] [16]

BranchAddress
Herbert Bowen Branch 3648 W. Vernor/W. Grand Blvd.
James Valentine Campbell Branch 8733 W. Vernor/Springwells
Chandler Park Branch 12800 Harper/Dickerson
Henry Chaney Branch 16101 Grand River/Greenfield
Jessie C. Chase Branch 17731 W. Seven Mile/Southfield
Edwin F. Conely Branch 4600 Martin/Michigan
Frederick Douglass Branch, Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (formerly The Frederick Douglass Center for Specialized Services) [15] 3666 Grand River/Trumbull
Divie B. Duffield Branch 2507 W. Grand Blvd./14th St.
Thomas A. Edison Branch 18400 Joy Rd./Southfield
Elmwood Park Branch 550 Chene/Lafayette
Benjamin Franklin Branch 13651 E. McNichols/Gratiot
Bela Hubbard Branch 12929 W. McNichols/J. Couzens
Thomas Jefferson Branch 12350 E. Outer Drive/E. Warren
Elisabeth Knapp Branch 13330 Conant/E. Davison
Abraham Lincoln Branch 1221 E. Seven Mile/Russell
Main Library 5201 Woodward Ave.
John Monteith Branch (Was scheduled to be abandoned/scrapped after Dec 22, 2011. Reopened in January 2012)14100 Kercheval/Eastlawn
Francis Parkman Branch 1766 Oakman Blvd./Linwood
Redford Branch 21200 Grand River/W. McNichols
Sherwood Forest Branch 7117 W. Seven Mile/Livernois
Rose and Robert Skillman Branch (formerly Downtown Library) [15] 121 Gratiot/Library
Laura Ingalls Wilder Branch 7140 E. Seven Mile/Van Dyke
Detroit Public Library - Service Center5828 Third/Antoinette

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. [7]

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, is located on Harper Avenue, in proximity to Dickerson Street. As of 2009, 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 Metro Times that most of its patrons go to the library to use its computers. [17]

Former branches

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass Gilbert</span> American architect (1859–1934)

Cass Gilbert 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 West Virginia, the Detroit Public Library, the Saint Louis Art Museum and Public Library. His public buildings in the Beaux Arts style reflect the optimistic American sense that the nation was heir to Greek democracy, Roman law and Renaissance humanism. Gilbert's achievements were recognized in his lifetime; he served as president of the American Institute of Architects in 1908–09.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Place</span> Government offices in Detroit, Michigan

Cadillac Place, formerly the General Motors Building, is a landmark high-rise office complex located at 3044 West Grand Boulevard in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. It was renamed for the French founder of Detroit, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. It is a National Historic Landmark in Michigan, listed in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guardian Building</span> United States historic place

The Guardian Building is a landmark skyscraper and class-A office building in downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Financial District. Built in 1928 and finished in 1929, the building was originally called the Union Trust Building and is a bold example of Art Deco architecture, including art moderne designs. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, and is currently owned by Wayne County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Detroit</span> Cultural center and neighborhood in Wayne, Michigan, United States

Midtown Detroit is a commercial and residential district located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue, north of Downtown Detroit, and south of the New Center area. The area includes several historic districts. In addition, it contains a residential area of some 14,550 people and covers 2.09 sq mi. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway (I-75) on the east, the Lodge Freeway (M-10) on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the north, and the Fisher Freeway (I-75) on the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Woodward Avenue</span> Skyscraper in Detroit

One Woodward Avenue, formerly known as the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company Building, is a class-A office skyscraper in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Located next to the city's Civic Center and Financial District, it overlooks the International Riverfront and was designed to blend with the City-County Building across Woodward Avenue, Huntington Place, and the former Ford Auditorium to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AT&T Michigan Headquarters</span> Headquarters of American company AT&T in Detroit, USA

The AT&T Michigan Headquarters is a complex of skyscrapers and buildings located at 1st Street, Cass Avenue, State Street, and Michigan Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It contains the AT&T Building, the AT&T Building addition, the Maintenance Shop and is owned by communications giant AT&T.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Park, Detroit</span> Neighborhood of Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan, United States

Lafayette Park is a neighborhood located east of Downtown Detroit. It contains a residential area of some 4,900 people and covers 0.07 sq mi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Detroit</span> Area of Detroit, Michigan, United States

Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Locally, downtown tends to refer to the 1.4 square mile region bordered by M-10 to the west, Interstate 75 to the north, I-375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south. Although, it may also refer to the Greater Downtown area, a 7.2 square mile region that includes surrounding neighborhoods such as Midtown, Corktown, Rivertown, and Woodbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donaldson and Meier</span>

Donaldson and Meier was an architectural firm based in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1880 by John M. Donaldson (1854–1941) and Henry J. Meier (1858–1917), the firm produced a large and varied number of commissions in Detroit and southeastern Michigan. Donaldson, the principal designer of the partnership from a design point of view, was born in Stirling, Scotland and immigrated to Detroit at a young age. He returned to Europe where he studied at the Art Academy in Munich, Germany, and at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savoyard Centre</span> United States historic place

Savoyard Centre (1900), also known as State Savings Bank, is an office building at 151 West Fort Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan State Historic Site in 1981 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Another historic marker erected November 13, 1964, also notes that the site was previously occupied by Fort Lernoult until July 11, 1796, when, in compliance with the terms of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War, British troops had evacuated their last post in United States territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Main (Wayne State University)</span> United States historic place

Old Main is an academic building on the campus of Wayne State University. It is located at 4841 Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, on Wayne's main campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural Center Historic District (Detroit)</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Cultural Center Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan, which includes the Art Center : the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Horace H. Rackham Education Memorial Building were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The district contains several cultural attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Market, Detroit</span> United States historic place

Eastern Market is a commercial district in Detroit, Michigan. It is located approximately one mile (1.6 km) northeast of the city's downtown and is bordered on the south by Gratiot Avenue, the north by Mack Avenue, the east by St. Aubin Street, and the west by Interstate 75. It is sometimes referred to as the “Little Italy” of Detroit, although the Italian community has no tight-knit ethnic neighborhood present-day. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978; the district's boundary was increased in 2007. Eastern Market is located on the city's central east side near St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church and the Lafayette Park neighborhood. The market was transferred from city management in 2006, and now operates through a public-private partnership with the Eastern Market Corporation. Eastern Market is the largest historic public market district in the United States, and the Eastern Market farmers' distribution center is the largest open-air flowerbed market in the United States. There are more than 150 food and specialty businesses. On Saturdays, about 45,000 people shop at the city's historic Eastern Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Lang Freer House</span> Historic house in Michigan, United States

The Charles Lang Freer House is located at 71 East Ferry Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The house was originally built for the industrialist and art collector Charles Lang Freer, whose gift of the Freer Gallery of Art began the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The structure currently hosts the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute of Child & Family Development of Wayne State University. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1970 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Ferry Avenue Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The East Ferry Avenue Historic District is a historic residential district in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. The nationally designated historic district stretches two blocks from Woodward Avenue east to Brush Street; the locally designated historic district includes a third block between Brush and Beaubien. The district includes the separately designated Col. Frank J. Hecker House and the Charles Lang Freer House. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1976 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne State University Buildings</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Wayne State University historic district consists of three buildings on 4735-4841 Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan: the Mackenzie House, Hilberry Theatre, and Old Main, all on the campus of Wayne State University. The buildings were designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1957 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Amsterdam Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The New Amsterdam Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan. Buildings in this district are on or near three sequential east-west streets on the two blocks between Woodward Avenue and Second Avenue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Trinity Lutheran Church</span> Historic church in Michigan, United States

The Historic Trinity Lutheran Church is a church located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It occupies the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church complex, located at 1345 Gratiot Avenue. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1981 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Its current pastor is Rev. Darryl L. Andrzejewski.

The performing arts in Detroit include orchestra, live music, and theater, with more than a dozen performing arts venues. The stages and old time film palaces are generally located along Woodward Avenue, the city's central thoroughfare, in the Downtown, Midtown, and New Center areas. Some additional venues are located in neighborhood areas of the city. Many of the city's significant historic theaters have been revitalized.

References

  1. "Main Detroit Public Library". Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  2. "The Nation's Largest Libraries by Volumes Held". American Library Association.
  3. Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980). Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition . Wayne State University Press. ISBN   0-8143-1651-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. "Significant Dates in Michigan Library History". Library of Michigan. January 29, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  5. "DPL History". Detroit Public Library. 2006. Archived from the original on February 22, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  6. Audi, Tamara (November 20, 1999). "Marjorie Bradfield: Put black history into library". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Carlisle, John (Detroitblogger John). "Magic bus Archived 2011-08-18 at the Wayback Machine ." Metro Times . June 15, 2011. Retrieved on August 13, 2011.
  8. Rusk, Howard A. (July 27, 1947). "Special pontoon suits help disabled veterans to swim; microfilmed books, typewriting by remote control also assist the handicapped". New York Times. p. 39.
  9. 1 2 George Bulanda (September 2008). "The Main Detroit Public Library". Hour Detroit . hourdetroit.com. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  10. "The River of Knowledge Mosaic". detroit1701.org. December 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  11. James, Sheryl. "Trailblazing librarian, U-M alumna Clara Stanton Jones elected to Michigan Women's Hall of Fame". Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | University of Michigan.
  12. Louise Bugg; Christy A. Wells; Deborah Adams (November 2010). "DALNET – Historical Timeline" (PDF). The Detroit Area Library Network. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  13. MacDonald, Christine (September 16, 2014). "Former Detroit Library exec gets 10 years for bribery". The Detroit News . Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  14. Peet, Lisa (November 10, 2014). "Ex-Detroit Library Official Timothy Cromer Sentenced to Ten Years". Library Journal . Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Locations & Hours." Detroit Public Library. Retrieved on April 26, 2009.
  16. "Locations." Detroit Public Library. Retrieved on April 22, 2024.
  17. Detroitblogger John. "Dewey-eyed " (Archive). Metro Times . January 7, 2009. Retrieved on April 10, 2016.
  18. 1 2 3 "Detroit Public Library Branches, 1914" . Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  19. "The Family Place". thefamilyplace4c.org. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  20. Aguilar, Louis (September 27, 2016). "Historic public library on Gratiot to open as bookstore". The Detroit News.
  21. Woodford, Frank B. ″Parnassus on Main Street: A History of the Detroit Public Library. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1965.

Further reading

42°21′30.9″N83°4′0″W / 42.358583°N 83.06667°W / 42.358583; -83.06667