The Library of Michigan is the state library for the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lansing, the state capital, and is found in a 5-story building called the Michigan Library and Historical Center. The library's role is to collect and protect books and materials published in Michigan, help with research and answer questions, and support libraries across the state.

Since 2009, the Library of Michigan has been part of the Michigan Department of Education. One important service it offers is the Michigan eLibrary (MeL), which was one of the first online libraries on the Internet. MeL provides access to full-text articles, books, materials about Michigan history, and trusted websites for people living in Michigan.

In addition to being the state library, the Library of Michigan also manages the Michigan History Museum, which is located in part of the library building. The museum displays permanent and seasonal exhibits about Michigan's history and is open to the public.

History

In 1828, a territorial library was created to help the territorial council use laws and government papers. William B. Hunt was chosen to be the territorial librarian. In 1837, this library became the state library, and Governor Stevens T. Mason selected Oren Marsh as the first state librarian.

In 1879, the state library moved to the new State Capitol in Lansing. It was first in a two-story room on the second and third floors of the west wing. Today, that space is called the Speaker's Library on the second floor and the House Appropriations Committee room on the third floor.

A fire in the State Office Building in 1951 destroyed 20,000 books and damaged 30,000 more.

Public Act 540 of 1982 created the Library of Michigan and moved control of the library from the Department of Education to the Legislative Council. In 1985, the Library of Michigan Foundation was formed to help fund the library’s important programs and projects.

In 1988, the Michigan Library and Historical Center opened, making the Library of Michigan’s space three times larger and bringing all its books together for the first time since the 1951 fire. In 2001, the library moved to the new Department of History, Arts and Libraries. When that department was closed in 2009, the library returned to the Department of Education.

Building

The Library of Michigan has five stories and holds more than 3.2 million different items that occupy over 27 miles (43 km) of shelves. Opened in 1989, the building also houses one of the ten largest genealogical collections in the United States. It includes a Michigan collection with legal documents from hundreds of years ago. Other features of the library and historical center are the Michigan History Museum, the Archives of Michigan, and microfilm copies of newspapers from across the state. The State of Michigan Law Library relocated to the building during the summer of 2007.