42°12′29″N 83°36′54″W / 42.208°N 83.615°W / 42.208; -83.615

The Ypsilanti District Library moved into the old Ypsilanti Post Office building in downtown Ypsilanti in 1963.

The Ypsilanti District Library is a library in Washtenaw County, Michigan, serving Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, and Superior Township. The library has been in operation since 1868, and today provides services with three branches and a bookmobile.[1]

History

Early history

The new Superior Township branch opened in 2022, replacing a temporary building in a former fire station that opened in 2007.

In 1868, a small group of women started a reading group that created a library, which originally included 175 volumes. They housed the library on the second floor of the Arcade Building on North Huron. In 1886, the Arcade Building became inadequate for the purpose and the library moved to the second floor on the Union Block on Michigan Avenue.[1] In 1890, Mrs. Starkweather donated her home to the 'Ladies' Library' on Huron Street as well as new furniture and a large stained glass window.[1] The city of Ypsilanti took over the Ladies' Library in 1949, changing the name to the Ypsilanti Public Library. In 1963, the library moved into a 1915 Beaux-Arts building that had previously housed the Ypsilanti post office[2] at 229 West Michigan Avenue.[3] The library began serving residents of nearby Ypsilanti Township in 1968, under an arrangement where the township paid the library $5 per library patron per year.[4]

Challenges and transition to District Library

The Whittaker Road branch opened in 2002.

In 1983, the library faced challenges with its funding, and was closed from March 25 through June 1. A ballot proposal to create an independent library district passed on April 4, separating the Ypsilanti Public Library from the city of Ypsilanti, and creating the Ypsilanti District Library. The YDL opened its first branch in 1985, the Peters Branch, located in the former Ypsilanti Township Hall on Ecorse Road.

The newly formed District Library gained a new measure of self-governance in 1990, with the election of its first Board of Trustees, and permanent funding from a 0.65 mill property tax.[4]

Expansion

The library expanded in 1992, opening the Roundtree branch at Ellsworth and Hewitt Roads, and expanding the Peters branch. A strategic plan adopted in 1995 called for a new, larger library building, which was approved by voters in 1998. The 1998 proposal approved the funding for a new library in Ypsilanti Township, along with a major renovation of the Michigan Avenue branch, and the purchase of a new bookmobile.

The new Ypsilanti Township library, located on Whittaker Road, broke ground in 2000, and opened in 2002. At 60,000 square feet, it remains the largest branch in the system, housing the library administration and the local history collection.[5]

The Ypsilanti District Library received the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award for its second annual Ypsilanti Songwriting Festival in 2009.[6]

Superior Township joined the library district in 2006, expanding the library's service area to three municipalities. A temporary Superior Branch opened in 2007 in a former fire station on MacArthur Road, less than 2000 square feet in size. The temporary branch was replaced by a larger branch, which received funding in 2018,[7] and opened in 2022.[8][9]

Administration

The library is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees. Trustees are elected residents of the library district, serving four-year terms.[10]

Collections

Collections Number of Items Number of Circs
Adult Books 139,507 238,240
Adult Books on CD 2,894 19,256
Adult Books on Tape 1,171 3,139
Adult Playaways 237 1,265
Adult CDs 9,482 54,296
Adult DVDs 8,849 115,768
Adult Videos 3,898 12,577
Language Tapes/CDs 501 2,936
Literacy Material 1,287 805
Magazines 16,768 12,383
Adult and Youth Reference 10,063 154
Interlibrary Loan 2,936
Pamphlets/Maps 28
Young Adult Books 11,172 27,897
Young Adult Books on CD 162 476
Young Adult Books on Tape 121 134
Youth Books 93,837 225,461
Youth Books & Cassette 674 1,596
Youth Books & CD 319 757
Youth Books on CD 863 4,074
Youth Books on Tape 541 1,514
Youth Playaways 184 596
Youth CDs 1,263 5,976
Youth Videos 1,289 10,911
Youth DVDs 4,203 43,592
Youth CD ROMS 69 225

All of these publications can be checked out by the public at no cost.[3]

Services

YDL bookmobile

The library provides many services including a bookmobile, inter-library loans, tax forms, photocopies, lively arts programs, community rooms and internet access. The library currently offers the ability to check out free passes to area museums including the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Arab American National Museum, Cranbrook Educational Community, and the Ypsilanti Historical Museum. The library also offers online book clubs, teen literacy activities, computer classes, and group book discussion.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Colburn, Harvey C. (1976). The Story of Ypsilanti. Ypsilanti, MI: MMI. pp. 175, 237, 257.
  2. "Tour Highlights Historic Homes of Ypsilanti, Mich.", Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services, 2003-08-08, archived from the original on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2012-04-19(subscription required)
  3. 1 2 Ypsilanti District Library Publication
  4. 1 2 "Mission & History". Ypsilanti District Library. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  5. "Michigan-Ypsilanti Heritage Room". Ypsilanti District Library. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  6. anash (2009-02-19). "Ypsilanti District Library wins public relations award". mlive. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  7. "Ypsilanti District Library millage passes by more than 2-1 margin". mlive. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  8. Smolcic Larson, Lucas (2022-11-05). "See a sneak peek inside the Ypsilanti area's newest library as opening week approaches". MLive. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  9. Fleming, Chandra (2022-10-09). "Community unites around new Superior Township library, helps it move 1 book at a time". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  10. "Board". Ypsilanti District Library. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  11. "Ypsilanti District Library | Serving the Ypsilanti Area". Ypsilanti District Library. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
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