Front Street entrance, 1903 buildingMain entrance, 2000 addition
The Peter White Public Library is a public library and community center in the City of Marquette, Michigan. The library building has stood at 217 North Front Street since 1904. An extensive renovation and addition was completed in 2000, and another renovation completed in 2018. The building also houses the Marquette Arts and Culture Center. The library is named after Peter White, a local businessman, postmaster, real estate developer, Michigan state legislator, and philanthropist who lived from 1830 until 1908.[1]
During Fiscal Year 2022-2023 the library contained approximately 172,000 physical items—including books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, art prints, and other formats, plus access to a shared collection of e-books and downloadable audio books. During that same year, the library welcomed an average of 511 visitors per day and circulated a total of 258,598 items. The library is owned by the citizens of the City of Marquette. Eight townships in Marquette County also contract service with the library, bringing the total population served to nearly 36,000. The library serves persons who live or own property in the following communities: City of Marquette, Chocolay Township, Ewing Township, Marquette Township, Sands Township, Skandia Township, Turin Township, Wells Township, and West Branch Township. The library maintains remote book drops for the return of materials at the township halls in Chocolay, Sands, Skandia, and West Branch Townships. An additional drop in Marquette Township is located at the Westwood Mall, outside the southwest entrance of the building.
The library has two library boards, a controlling board and an advisory board. The controlling board is the Peter White Public Library Board of Trustees.[6] Board members are appointed by the Marquette City Commission. The Township Advisory Council is composed of members appointed by the townships contracting services with the library. Each township has two members.[7]
History
Library, c. 1905
Public library service in Marquette, Michigan, began in 1871 when the library was located in City Hall. The Peter White Public Library was formally founded by Local Act 254 of 1891 by the Michigan Legislature.[8]
The historic building at the corner of Front and Ridge Streets was completed in 1904. The building was designed by Patton and Miller Architects of Chicago, Illinois. A renovation and expansion project designed by Frye Gillan Molinaro Architects, also of Chicago, was completed in October 2000. Gundlach Champion was the contractor. This $9.0 million project was funded by a $4.5 million city bond issue and $4.5 million capital campaign. The current facility is 63,000 square feet (5,900m2). The original building and subsequent renovations have been made possible not only through the generosity of the library namesake, but many other benefactors, and the taxpayers who support the Library.
In 2007 the library received a Library of Michigan Foundation Citation of Excellence from State Librarian Nancy Robertson.[9] The award recognized the library for providing excellent service and meeting the needs of the community in a friendly, cost-effective, and innovative way.
In December 2010 the library received a National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).[10] The Medal is awarded to ten libraries or museums in the United States each year.
During 2018-2019 the library carried out a $4.2 million renovation project, funded by a bond approved by the citizens of the City of Marquette in August 2017. The project architects and engineers were Integrated Designs of Marquette, Michigan, and the general contractor was Closner Construction of Marquette, Michigan. Work included repair to the facade of the 1904 building, renovation of the entire lower level for expanded youth services program space, providing additional private study space, replacing flooring, and updating the technology infrastructure.[11]
↑ "Superiorland Library Cooperative." Hello from the Superiorland Library Cooperative. Web. 24 Jan. 2024. <https://superiorlandlibrary.org/>.
↑ "Welcome to the Upper Peninsula Region of Library Cooperation (UPROC)." Welcome to the Upper Peninsula Region of Library Cooperation (UPROC). Web. 24 Jan. 2024. <https://uprlc.org/>.
↑ Upper Peninsula Digital Network. Upper Peninsula Digital Network. Web. 24 Jan. 2024. <https://uplink.nmu.edu/>.
Marquette is the county seat of Marquette County and the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Marquette is a major port, known primarily for shipping iron ore from the Marquette Iron Range. The city is partially surrounded by Marquette Township, but the two are administered autonomously.
The Upper Peninsulaof Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P.—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac. It is bounded primarily by Lake Superior to the north, separated from the Canadian province of Ontario at the east end by the St. Marys River, and flanked by Lake Huron and Lake Michigan along much of its south. Although the peninsula extends as a geographic feature into the state of Wisconsin, the state boundary follows the Montreal and Menominee rivers and a line connecting them.
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Marquette County is a county located in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,017. The county seat is Marquette. The county is named for Father Marquette, a Jesuit missionary. It was set off in 1843 and organized in 1851. Marquette County is the largest county in land area in Michigan, and the most populous county in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Mackinac County is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace. Formerly known as Michilimackinac County, in 1818 it was one of the first counties of the Michigan Territory, as it had long been a center of French and British colonial fur trading, a Catholic church and Protestant mission, and associated settlement.
Keweenaw County is a county in the western Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 2,046, making it Michigan's least populous county. It is also the state's largest county by total area, including the waters of Lake Superior, as well as the state's northernmost county. The county seat is Eagle River.
Houghton County is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,361. The county seat and largest city is Houghton. Both the county and the city were named for Michigan State geologist and Detroit Mayor Douglass Houghton.
Baraga County is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,158, making it Michigan's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is L'Anse. The county is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga, a Catholic missionary who ministered to the Ojibwa Indians in the Michigan Territory.
Escanaba, commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city and the county seat of Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula. The population was 12,450 at the 2020 census, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie.
Chocolay Township is a charter township in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,899 at the 2020 census. The township is named for the Chocolay River and is located on the shore of Lake Superior.
West Branch Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,702 at the 2020 census.
M-28 is an east–west state trunkline highway that traverses nearly all of the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield to near Sault Ste. Marie in Bruce Township. Along with US Highway 2 (US 2), M-28 forms a pair of primary highways linking the Upper Peninsula from end to end, providing a major access route for traffic from Michigan and Canada along the southern shore of Lake Superior. M-28 is the longest state trunkline in Michigan numbered with the "M-" prefix at 290.373 miles (467.310 km). The entire highway is listed on the National Highway System, while three sections of M-28 are part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour. M-28 also carries two memorial highway designations along its route.
The Treaty of Washington is a treaty between the United States and representatives of the Ottawa and Chippewa nations of Native Americans. With this treaty, the tribes ceded an area of approximately 13,837,207 acres in the northwest portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and the eastern portion of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This area represents approximately 37% of the current land area of the state of Michigan.
The Escanaba River is a 52.2-mile-long (84.0 km) river on the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.
Chassell is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The CDP had a population of 876 at the 2020 census. Chassell is located within Chassell Township, and is located on the shore of Portage Lake in the Upper Peninsula. As an unincorporated community, Chassell has no legal autonomy of its own, however it does have a post office with the ZIP code 49916.
The following outline provides an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Michigan:
Peter White was one of the original settlers of Marquette, Michigan. He was a banker, businessman, real estate developer, and a philanthropist; and was involved in a number of the area's iron mining-related businesses, including acting as a director the Cleveland Iron Company. White served in many local and state public offices, including postmaster, county clerk, school board member, state representative and senator, and as a member of the state library commission and a Regent of the University of Michigan. Poet William Henry Drummond said of White, "the trail Peter White has cut through life is blessed by acts of private charity and deeds of public devotion that will serve as a guide to those who follow in the footsteps of a truly great, and above all, good man."
The Pasco County Library Cooperative (PCLC) is the public library system that serves all residents of Pasco County, Florida, and is a member of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium. The Pasco County Library System, as it was originally known, was established by county ordinance in 1980.
Hoopla is a web and mobile (Android/iOS) library media streaming platform launched in 2010 for audio books, comics, e-books, movies, music, and TV. Patrons of a library that supports Hoopla have access to its collection of digital media.
Lakenenland is a sculpture park located in Chocolay Township, Michigan. The park was founded in 2003, when artist Tom Lakenen moved his collection of scrap iron sculptures from his yard to a plot of land near the Lake Superior coast. Lakenenland contains more than 80 sculptures in the creator's "junkyard art" style.
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