Detroit Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Detroit Public Library (DPL) is the second largest library
system in Michigan
by volumes held (after the University of Michigan Library
), and is the 20th largest library system in the United States. It is composed of a Main Library on Woodward Avenue, which houses DPL administration offices, and twenty-three 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
.
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 J. 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, DC, the Minnesota State Capitol
and the Woolworth Building
in New York City.
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 at 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.
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. The library system's bookmobile service began in 1940.
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
entitled The River of Knowledge. As part of the addition, a tripych 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 compliments a tryparch mural on the opposite wall completed in 1921 by Gari Melchers depicting Detroit's early history.
Detroit Public Library is also a founding member of the Detroit area library network (DALNET)
. Historically, DALNET 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 consortium.
Board of Education, is the governing authority for the system. The commission establishes policies and administer the funds. There are 7 Library Commissioners, with the seventh commissioner being the current president of the Board of Education, who is an ex-offico 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 appoint and hires the Director, Deputy Director and all other employees are hired by the commission, upon the recommendation of the Director.
), the Hackley Collection, 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
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.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
system in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
by volumes held (after the University of Michigan Library
University of Michigan Library
The University of Michigan University Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is one of the largest university library systems in the United States. The system, consisting of 19 separate libraries in 11 buildings, altogether holds over 9.55 million volumes, with the collection growing at the rate of...
), and is the 20th largest library system in the United States. It is composed of a Main Library on Woodward Avenue, which houses DPL administration offices, and twenty-three branch locations across the city. The Main Library is part of Detroit's Cultural Center Historic District
Cultural Center Historic District
The Cultural Center Historic District is a historic district located in Midtown 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...
listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
adjacent to Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
campus and across from the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
.
Designed by Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert
- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
, 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 J. 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
United States Supreme Court building
The Supreme Court Building is the seat of the Supreme Court of the United States. It is situated in Washington, D.C. at 1 First Street, NE, on the block immediately east of the United States Capitol. The building is under the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol. On May 4, 1987, the Supreme...
in Washington, DC, the Minnesota State Capitol
Minnesota State Capitol
The Minnesota State Capitol is located in Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul, and houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Governor...
and the Woolworth Building
Woolworth Building
The Woolworth Building is one of the oldest skyscrapers in New York City. More than a century after the start of its construction, it remains, at 57 stories, one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City...
in New York City.
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 libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
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 at 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.
Several additional branches opened shortly afterwards, including one in the Old Main building of Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
. But it was not until 1910 when Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
, the great American library philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
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
Cass Gilbert
- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
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
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Main Library did not open until March 21, 1921. It was dedicated June 3, 1921. The library system's bookmobile service began in 1940.
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 Sheets
Millard Owen Sheets was an American painter and a representative of the California School of Painting, later a teacher and educational director, and architect of more than 50 branch banks in Southern California.-Early life:...
entitled The River of Knowledge. As part of the addition, a tripych 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 compliments a tryparch mural on the opposite wall completed in 1921 by Gari Melchers depicting Detroit's early history.
Detroit Public Library is also a founding member of the Detroit area library network (DALNET)
Detroit area library network (DALNET)
The Detroit Area Library Network is a multi-type library consortium located on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, USA...
. Historically, DALNET ran the Integrated Library System
Integrated library system
An integrated library system , also known as a library management system ,is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed....
(online library catalog) for the library but the library later purchased its own servers, after the mainframe computer
Mainframe computer
Mainframes are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.The term originally referred to the...
era began to wane, and the library now runs its own systems. The library continues to be a member partner in the 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 SchoolsDetroit Public Schools
Detroit Public Schools is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The student population of the Detroit Public Schools is about 65,971 , which is down about 9.7% from the previous school year. Detroit Public Charter Schools educate an additional 56,000...
Board of Education, is the governing authority for the system. The commission establishes policies and administer the funds. There are 7 Library Commissioners, with the seventh commissioner being the current president of the Board of Education, who is an ex-offico 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 appoint and hires the Director, Deputy Director and all other employees are hired by the commission, upon the recommendation of the Director.
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. BurtonClarence M. Burton
Clarence Monroe Burton was a Detroit lawyer and businessman, historian, and philanthropist.- Early years :...
), the Hackley Collection, and the National Automotive History Collection. Additionally, there are online collections, including one on Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and Baseball Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...
. 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
| Branch | Address |
|---|---|
| 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 M./Southfield |
| Edwin F. Conely Branch | 4600 Martin/Michigan |
| Douglass Branch for Specialized Services (formerly The Frederick Douglass Center for Specialized Services) | 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 |
| Mark Twain Annex/Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church | 4741 Iroquois |
| John Monteith Branch (Schedule to be abandoned/scrapped after Dec 22, 2011) | 14100 Kercheval/Eastlawn |
| Francis Parkman Branch | 1766 Oakman Blvd./Linwood |
| Redford Branch | 21200 Grand River/W. McNichols |
| Gabriel Richard Branch (Schedule to be abandoned/scrapped after Dec 22, 2011) | 9876 Grand River/Stoepel |
| Sherwood Forest Branch | 7117 W. Seven Mile/Livernois |
| Rose and Robert Skillman Branch (formerly Downtown Library) | 121 Gratiot / Library |
| Laura Ingalls Wilder Branch | 7140 E. Seven Mile/Van Dyke |
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.
Former branches
- John F. Gray Branch
- George Van Ness Lothrop Branch (At the southwest corner of West Warren Avenue and West Grand Boulevard-demolished October 2009)
- 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)
External links
- Detroit Public Library website includes a historical sketch of the DPL and information on branches and access to the Online Catalogue.
- TIP (The Information Place).
- The Ernie Harwell Online Exhibit.
- The Drawing Power: An Exhibit of Motor City Ad Art in the Age of Muscle and Chrome.
- The The Making of Modern Michigan.