Canton Public Library

About Us:

Canton's first public library was established in 1979, when residents voted to support a public library. On October 20, 1980, the doors opened on the third floor of the Township Hall in 12,000 square feet of space. During the next eight years, the library became one of the busiest libraries in southeast Michigan. It soon outgrew its crowded quarters. In 1986, voters supported a second mill to construct and operate a new, 31,000 square foot facility on 7.5 acres just south of the Township Hall.

During the 1990's, Canton experienced record growth and the library soon became "standing room only" during peak times. The Library Board of Trustees voted to expand and renovate the library out of its operating millage. The project was launched in 1999. The library continued to serve patrons while construction took place on three sides of the building, with much of the interior being refurbished in the process. In April 2001, the newly expanded and renovated 53,000 square foot library reopened with a brand new look (check our Photo Gallery). In the interim (on October 18, 2000, nearly 20 years to the day after the library opened in 1980), the library converted its webpage into an online Internet Branch.

In 2002, the Canton Public Library first reached one-million annual circulation, and now attains that figure earlier each year. Its materials collection of books, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers, videos, CDs, CD-ROMs and more includes 217,000 unique titles and 261,000 total materials.