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Grand Rapids Public Library history
Grand Rapids Public Library company history timeline
The Grand Rapids Public Library was founded in 1871 and was located within the Grand Rapids City Hall.
History of Kent County by Charles Chapman (1881)
By 1900, the desire for a permanent home began to grow.
The cornerstone of the Ryerson Building was laid on July 4, 1902, and the building was completed and open to the public two years later.
In 1904, the library moved to the Ryerson building which served as a permanent home for the library.
The first branch was the West Side Branch, which was originally housed in an old Michigan Bell Telephone Company building; it opened in 1908.
The 1912 city directory (available from HathiTrust) provides both addresses.
The Grand Rapids Historical Commission’s (GRHC) mission, established by the city in 1962, is to: collect, preserve, publish, and disseminate the history of Grand Rapids.
Overcrowding had gradually become problematic, and by 1962, plans were made to spend $2.8 million on an addition to the north side of the Ryerson Building.
In 1967, the library expanded to more than double in size.
In 2003, a grand opening was held to dedicate the new Main Branch of the Grand Rapids Public Library. As a result, the Ryerson Building was open to the public again for the first time since 1967.
In 2001, renovation began that forced the library to operate out of a nearby warehouse.
In 2003, a grand opening was held to dedicate the new Main Branch of the Grand Rapids Public Library.
In 2013 Grand Rapids History Detectives received a State History Award from the Historical Society of Michigan.
Explore further at GRPL in 2019.
Sowing seeds of success in 2020.
In 2021, the Grand Rapids Public Library celebrated 150 years of providing a free library for everyone.
Rate Grand Rapids Public Library's efforts to communicate its history to employees.
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Grand Rapids Public Library competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartow County Library System | - | $3.0M | 10 | - |
| Ann Arbor District Library | 1957 | $16.1M | 350 | 3 |
| The New York Public Library | 1895 | $448.3M | 3,150 | 81 |
| Charleston County Public Library | - | $60.0M | 249 | - |
| Kalamazoo Public Library | - | $10.3M | 132 | 1 |
| Miami-Dade Public Library System | 1971 | $240.0M | 750 | - |
| Kent District Library | - | $72.0M | 223 | 1 |
| Buffalo & Erie County Public Library | - | $29.0M | 99 | - |
| Durham County Library | - | $1.2M | 50 | - |
| City of Glenwood Springs | - | $3.1M | 33 | 1 |
Grand Rapids Public Library history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Grand Rapids Public Library, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Grand Rapids Public Library. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Grand Rapids Public Library. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Grand Rapids Public Library. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Grand Rapids Public Library and its employees or that of Zippia.
Grand Rapids Public Library may also be known as or be related to Grand Rapids Public Library and Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation.