Kalamazoo Public Library champions reading, ignites imagination and ensures access to information and ideas.
Overview
Kalamazoo Public Library, named National Library of the Year 2002, is an independent district library serving about 120,000 people. It has a salaried staff of 90 and a budget of $12 million. There are five locations, all built or renovated within the past few years: a Central Library and four neighborhood branches, as well as a bookmobile purchased in 2000.
Services
In addition to traditional library services, the library coordinates an early childhood literacy program, indexes the local newspaper and incorporates it into a local/community information database available online, provides equipment for patrons with special needs, and offers computer training from a full-time trainer in a 10-station lab.