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In the spring of 1934, while in the grip of the Great Depression, a group of Village of Warren residents decided to establish a library. They invited a State Library consultant to meet with them at the old Murthum School. The principal, Mr. Whitman, served as a temporary chairman. Each attendee paid a membership fee of twenty-five cents and a donation of five dollars was asked of those who could afford it. Membership subscriptions were solicited throughout the community.
Plans progressed and in October 1934 an election was held, with these Village residents elected to the library board: Mrs. Chris (Anna) Zorn, President, Mrs. Earl Steins, Vice-President, Mr. Chris Foss, Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs. Robert Parrott, Trustee, and Miss Nellie Elkins, Trustee. The group adopted bylaws and with the donation of 516 books, and the State Library's loan of 200 books, the library was almost ready to open. Mrs. Zorn donated one room of her home, the "Sunday parlor", at 31715 Seventh Street to the Warren Community Library. On January 3, 1935, the first library opened for business.
After a year, the library moved from Mrs. Zorn's to the I.O.O.F. hall on Chicago Road. On January 14, 1937, the Village Council accepted the library as an official Village Institution and donated $25.00. By 1940 the Warren Community Library was supplying books on a monthly basis to the schools. The records show that the library flourished during the next few years, as the collection grew and more and more people used the library.
By the late 1940's, the Warren Community Library had outgrown its quarters in the I.O.O.F. Hall. The library committee appealed to the Village Council for a larger place to house the collection. The council approved the move of the library to the Village Hall, 5961 Beebe Street, and the library spent $2,000 in renovations to make it suitable for use as a library. The Warren Community Library reopened to the public in its new quarters on February 10, 1949 with 5,000 books on the shelves.
However, this library only serviced the north end of the present Warren area and the burgeoning south end was without library service. During the early stages of World War II, the Federal government erected a U.S.O. building in Warren Township and a "Victory collection: was established.
After that building was sold, the Warren Township made appropriations to the Center Line and Village of Warren libraries to help meet the communities' needs, but this was inadequate for the growing demands of the people in Warren Township.
The Township Board consulted the County library, who agreed to staff, provide books and the know-how if the board would furnish a building and $1,000 in penal fines. So they rented a store building on the west side of Van Dyke at Dodge. On April 1, 1951, at a public ceremony, the Warren Charter Township Branch of Macomb County Library opened. Gerald Neil was the chairman of the Library Commission for this newly established library. Later that same year, another move brought the library to 23544 Van Dyke. Although this provided service to the Van Dyke area, all of Warren Township was not covered. There were many library advocates who still "had a dream" to have branches located in all corners of the Township.
In January 1957, Warren incorporated as a city and assumed control over Warren Community Library in the Village and the Warren Township Branch of Macomb County. The mayor appointed a new library board from the membership of the two previous library boards. The Charter granted 3/10 mil of tax money to operate the library, and later changed to .5 mil. On January 29, 1958, the library building started by the Village of Warren and completed by the City of Warren was dedicated as the Washington Irving Branch. The cost of the building was $28, 340.
In 1964, the Washington Irving Branch became the Library Administration Building, and the collection moved to a location at the Green Acres Shopping Center. In 1970, because more space was needed, the Green Acres Branch relocated to a rented building on Mound Road. It was later replaced by the Arthur Miller Branch. The Administration Office was moved to the Civic Center Library in November 2006.
On May 22, 1960, the Edgar A. Guest Library was dedicated. Cost for the site, plans, construction and furniture totaled $98,172.99. That branch served southeastern residents until April 1, 2004, when it was closed permanently due to budget constraints.
The Dorothy Busch Branch opened its doors and was dedicated on January 6, 1963 at a total cost of $120,322.
The Walt Whitman Branch was dedicated October 3, 1965 at a total cost of $152,647. Whitman was closed permanently October 16, 2006 and its collection was moved to the new Civic Center Library.
Maybelle Burnette Branch was dedicated June 19, 1966 at a cost of $207,081.
On February 14, 1971, the dedication of the Arthur J. Miller Branch, named in honor of the first mayor of Warren, took place. Miller was built at a total cost of $209,595. Construction was financed largely through a $175,000 loan by the City of Warren Police and First Retirement Commission. Located on 13 Mile west of Mound Road, the library closed on April 7, 2003 and on May 12, 2003 was reopened in the Warren Community Center at 5460 Arden. Construction of the new branch was financed by Warren's Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
The DDA also planned construction of a library in the new Warren City Hall/Civic Center. The new Civic Center Library was opened on January 3, 2007 on the first floor of the new Warren City Hall building, located east of Van Dyke between 12 and 13 Mile Roads. The Whitman Library collection was moved to the new library.
In 2008, newly elected Mayor James R. Fouts and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), initiated a plan to revitalize the South end of the City of Warren by constructing a state-of-the-art facility that will incorporate a 12,000-15,000 square foot library and a satellite police station.
The Warren Public Library System currently provides a computerized circulation system and patron access terminals through the Suburban Library Cooperative. The library branches offer a wide variety of items and services along with books, including music CDs, large print materials, audio books, magazines, a microfilm/microfiche reader-printer, newspapers, automobile repair manuals, sheet music, videos, DVDs, magnifiers and other low vision equipment, downloadable e-books, e-audiobooks, and e-videos, MP3 CDs, remote access to the library catalog and some databases, plus telephone reference. The Civic Center Library provides book reserve lockers, study rooms, a computer lab, three book clubs, self-checkout stations, and faxing service. Wireless internet and computer access are available free of charge at all four Warren libraries.
The Warren Public Library regularly present programs for children and adults. Different programs are offered at each branch and include Book Tots, Toddler Time and Preschool Storyhour. Summer Reading Club is held at all branches for children, teens and adults. Special programs for adults, on topics such as scrapbooking, genealogy, gardening, finances and more, are offered periodically.
For more information about the library call 586-574-4564.