The new Shelby Township Library opened its doors at 52610 Van Dyke Ave. on the township's municipal campus near 24 Mile Road and Van Dyke Ave. at 1 p.m. June 25.

The new library increases the current facility's footprint from 12,400 square feet at the old location to 26,400 square feet at the new, current building and offers many more amenities for the township.

The new Shelby Township Library features a children's area, community event spaces, a teen room, a technology lab, individual study rooms, a children's storytime and programming space, a reading lounge and additional space for library materials. The new library will has several unique features courtesy of private donors.

Highlighted by its floor-to-ceiling fireplace, Joseph and Karen Gale furnished and funded the reading lounge. Carol McLaughlin donated an 18'x7' Pewabic pottery mural. A 30-foot tall interactive tree sculpture in the children's room is courtesy of the Joan Walen Fund. A one-of-a-kind "magic book" was donated to the children's room by the Friends of the Library. The Utica-Shelby Township Rotary and Macomb Charity Connect donated an interactive Everbrite wall in the teen area.

The Shelby Township Library opened to the public in August of 1972. During its first week, it was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback and welcomed its first 515 registered patrons.

In April of 1973, the library joined what is now the Suburban Library Cooperative, allowing it to receive and borrow materials from all other libraries in Macomb County. Today, the library consists of 12,500 square feet, 100,500 items and 27 computers.

Today patrons can access the library through the online catalog including the holdings of the public libraries throughout Macomb County, Harper Woods and Troy Public Libraries. The Shelby Township Library's website also gives you access to audiobooks, ebooks, video, magazines and music.

The new library features increased space for children’s programming, a technology lab, a dedicated teen area, four meeting rooms and five study rooms among other added amenities absent for the old library at 51680 Van Dyke Ave.

Download the program for the June 25, 2022 Shelby Township Library Grand Opening for a library map and more information.

Support the Friends of the Shelby Township Library and become a lasting part of the new Shelby Township Library. Commemorate your family name on a hand-painted 5”x3” glass plaque. Your unique plaque will be part of a beautiful glass art donor wall in the new library entrance.

A tax-deductible $250 personal donation or $500 business donation supports the Friends of the Library, a 501c3 nonprofit that raises funds for the Shelby Township Library. Supported by the Friends of the Library, plaque purchases will help fund library events, programs, materials and special projects. For more information, contact the library at 586-739-7414 or shelbylib@libcoop.net.

• Download a Shelby Township Library Donor Wall Glass Plaque Application
• View the plans for the Shelby Township Library Donor Wall

Shelby Township Library grand opening and construction photos

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Behind the Scenes....

Go behind the scenes with a documentary covering the construction of Shelby Township's new $11 million, 26,400-square-foot library.