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Territorial Library
Henry Schoolcraft created a territiorial library designed to hold books related to the laws of the Michigan Territory. William B. Hunt was named as the first territorial librarian. -
Statehood
Michigan officially became the 26th American State, and the territorial library became the state library, with Oren Marsh serving as the first State Librarian. -
Harriet Tenney
Harriet Tenney, wife of former state librarian Eugene Tenney, was named state librarian, the first woman to hold the office. She served for 22 years, was the first state librarian to join ALA, and increased the collection from 5000 books to over 55000. -
Move to Lansing
With the collection reaching nearly 50000 volumes, the state library moved to a larger space in the Michigan state capitol building. From the time the space was alotted to the completion of the move, the collection had already outgrown it. -
Open to the public
After the move to the capitol building, the Michigan State Library first opened for public usage in 1880. -
Traveling Libraries
The traveling libraries program was first initiated, designed to provide access to library services and materials to residents in isolated areas. The box show was designed for use by keepers of Michigan's many lighthouses. -
Spread of Public Libraries
The Free Public Library Act is created to provide free library services to all state inhabitants. The State Board of Library Commissioners is formed in order to establish new libraries and regulate existing ones. -
Exdending the Reach
Library Director Mary Frankhauser created the Extension Program, a system designed to stimulate growth of rural and county libraries and help educate those who wished to fund them. It also helped school and prison libraries to improve their collection and cataloging in order to gain accreditation. -
State Aid to Libraries
Michigan passed the State Aid to Libraries act, the first state law allocating state funding to the library system. The law allocated a total of five hundred thousand dollars, which, when adjusted for inflation, is the equivalent of nearly eight million dollars. -
Fire!
A fire in the state office building holding the library destroys nearly 20,000 books and damages a further 30,000. The fire, deliberately started, burned for 45 hours and caused an estimated 3.5 million dollars in damage. -
Service for the Blind
The Michigan Library began its program of Subregional Libraries, libraries which were specially designed to cater to blind and other handicapped patrons. Two such libraries were opened in 1972, and a further eight had opened by 1979. -
A New Model
The state of Michigan transferred control of the library from the Department of Education to the Legislative branch of the state, officially creating the Library of Michigan, This was designed to pattern the library after the Library of Congress. -
New Online Initiatives
The Library of Michigan enhanced its online presence, introducing internet library services as well as ANSWERCAT, the Library of Michigan's online catalog system. -
Under New Management
The Library of Michigan became part of the newly-created Department of History, Arts and Libraries, an organization designed to better coordinate the many educational institutions operating in the state of Michigan. -
Meet the New Boss...
The Department of History, Arts and Libraries is dissolved and its component organizations re-absorbed into the Department of Education. This includes the Library of Michigan, now back where it started from.
