Grace A. Dow Memorial Library
| Established | 1899, 1953 |
|---|---|
| Location | Midland, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 43°37′33″N 84°14′53″W / 43.6258°N 84.2481°WCoordinates: 43°37′33″N 84°14′53″W / 43.6258°N 84.2481°W |
| Collection | |
| Size | 262,065 (2010) |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 860,380 (2010) |
| Population served | 75,215 (2010) |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $3.8 million |
| Director | Melissa Barnard (2004-) |
| Staff | 51 |
| Website | cityofmidlandmi.gov/library |
The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library is the public library of the City of Midland and serves residents of Midland and of the contracting Midland County townships: Edenville, Greendale, Homer, Hope, Ingersoll, Jerome, Larkin, Lee, Lincoln, Midland, Mills, and Mt. Haley.
In 1899, Midland Library Association was formed as a subscription library with 25 charter members paying $1 a year that entitled them to check out 1 book a week for the year. Mary Dow, sister to Herbert H. Dow, was the first librarian. In 1900, The Library Association opened their subscription library in a room at the Unitarian Church with a collection of 100 books. In May, 1900, a Free Reading Room was established with the support of local manufacturers and businesses. In 1915, the Library Association transferred control of the Midland Library and Free Reading Room to the Midland Board of Education. In 1919, the Carnegie Library opened next to the Community Center on Townsend Street.
The Library Board was dissolved in 1951 and the City of Midland established a Library Advisory Board. All Library employees became employees of the City of Midland.
A new library was opened on Monday, January 24, 1955 at the corner of West St. Andrews Street and Eastman Avenue. It was named the "Grace A. Dow Memorial Library" after architect Alden B. Dow's mother. Grace A. Dow, wife of Herbert Henry Dow (founder of the Dow Chemical Company), was instrumental in the construction of the new library. After her death in 1953, before construction began, the library was named in her memory. The new Grace A. Dow Memorial Library celebrated 50 years in this building in 2005.
On October 21, 2012, library director Melissa Barnard announced a $3 million grant from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation to pay for infrastructure improvements and interior remodeling. Including this gift, the foundation has given $9.1 million to the library since 1938. Renovation work took place from the end of 2013 through the beginning of 2014 and included carpet and furniture replacement, HVAC replacement, wood refinishing on the Mezzanine, and the change to RFID tagging in library materials. The renovations changed the interior of the library to better align with Alden B. Dow's vision for the building.
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