Library of Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Library of Michigan |
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| The atrium of the Library of Michigan | |
| Type | State library |
| Reference to legal mandate | Library of Michigan Act of 1982 |
| Location | Lansing, Michigan |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $17,747,300 |
| Director | Randy Riley |
| Staff | 33 |
| Website | http://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan |
| Phone number | (517) 373-1300 |
The Library of Michigan is like the main library for the entire state of Michigan. It's located in Lansing, which is the state capital. Its main jobs are to collect and keep all kinds of Michigan-related books and documents. It also helps people find information for research and supports other libraries across the state.
Since 2009, the Library of Michigan has been part of the Michigan Department of Education. One really cool service it offers is the Michigan eLibrary (MeL). This was one of the first online libraries ever! MeL lets people in Michigan find articles, books, and information about Michigan history online. It also helps them find safe and helpful websites.
Besides being the state library, the building also has the Michigan History Museum. This museum has exhibits about Michigan's past. You can visit it to learn about the state's history through different displays.
Contents
History of the Library
Early Beginnings (1828-1879)
The library started way back in 1828. It was first called a "territorial library." It held laws and government papers for the people running the Michigan territory. William B. Hunt was the first person in charge of it.
Nine years later, in 1837, Michigan became a state. The territorial library then became the state library. Governor Stevens T. Mason chose Oren Marsh to be the very first state librarian.
In 1879, the state library moved to a new home. It went into the new State Capitol building in Lansing. It was a big room spread across two floors. Today, that space is used for other government offices.
Challenges and Growth (1951-2009)
In 1951, a fire caused a lot of damage. It happened in the building where the library was located. About 20,000 books were completely destroyed. Another 30,000 books were damaged.
In 1982, a new law officially created the Library of Michigan. This law also changed who was in charge of the library. It moved from the Department of Education to the Legislative Council. This council helps make laws for the state.
A few years later, in 1985, the Library of Michigan Foundation was started. This group helps raise money for special library programs. Then, in 1988, a brand new building opened. It was called the Michigan Library and Historical Center. This new center gave the library much more space. For the first time since the 1951 fire, all the library's books could be kept in one place.
In 2001, the library moved to a new state department. But in 2009, that department closed. So, the library moved back to the Department of Education.
The Library Building
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The Library of Michigan building is very large. It has 5 floors and opened in 1989. Inside, it holds over 3.2 million different items. These items take up more than 27 miles of shelves!
One special part of the library is its collection for finding family history. It's one of the ten biggest collections like this in the whole United States. There's also a special Michigan collection. It has legal documents that are hundreds of years old.
The building is also home to other important places. These include the Michigan Historical Museum, which you can visit. It also has the Archives of Michigan, where old state records are kept. You can even find old newspapers from all over Michigan on microfilm. The State of Michigan Law Library also moved into this building in 2007.
See also
- MichiCard
