• 221 Burke Street
    River Rouge, MI 48218
    (313) 843-2040

Staff

Library Director
 Gurpreet Samra
Youth Services Librarian
 Lynn Shymwell
Library Assistant
 Kaitlyn Szczypka

Library Commission

Chairperson
 Olive Roberts
Member
 Anthony Dellapella
Member
 Eugene Harris

City Officials

Mayor
 Michael Bowdler
 (313) 842-4200
Treasurer
 Dennis P. Cora
 (313) 842-5602
City Clerk
 Patricia Hudson-Johnson
 (313) 842-5604
Assessor
 Kemeelah Pasha
 (313) 842-7822
Constable
 Jonathan Holly
 n/a
Constable
 Dennis Shiels
 n/a

City Commission

Mayor Pro Tem
 Karen Ward
Commissioner
 Patty Campbell
Commissioner
 Daniel Cooney
Commissioner
 Derek Perry
Commissioner
 Percy Pierce Jr.
Commissioner
 Tina Miller Laginess

About us

The mission of the River Rouge Public Library is to serve people of all ages and diverse backgrounds by actively providing easily accessible information, materials, services and programs designed to meet the community's evolving educational, recreational, cultural and informational needs.
--Adopted 11/24/1997
 

The River Rouge Library serves the citizens of River Rouge, as well as patrons from participating libraries in The Library Network.

The library not only has books and movies available for loan, but also provides programs for the community. Programs include storytimes, teen programs, summer reading programs, and computer classes.

The current collection is over 24,000 items, and includes books, audiobooks, magazines, and movies.

Of special interest to River Rouge citizens, the library has an archive of the River Rouge Herald (1961-1986), Telegram (1995-1997), and River Rouge Ghostwriter (1995-1998). These newspapers are available for in-library use only. (The River Rouge Historical Museum has copies of the River Rouge Herald from 1930.) The book A History of River Rouge, Michigan is also available for in-library use.

History of the Library

The River Rouge Public Library was issued its Certificate of Occupancy on May 28, 1958 by former Building Inspector George A. Deering. The library still occupies the same building, but has made a few improvements, the most important being the addition of computers for public use. Four of these computers were provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000.

Please click on a year below for more information.

2003
The River Rouge Public Library has hosted a wealth of children's programs over the years, the highlight being the annual summer reading program. The theme for the summer reading program in 2003 was Laugh It Up @ Your Library, with an average of over 60 children attending the weekly craft workshops, which included workshops on stained glass art and handprint animal art.
2004
The summer reading program theme was Discover New Trails @ Your Library, and included programs by the Wayne County Parks with live reptiles and amphibians and an african drum performance where kids helped make the music. The children read a total of 688 books that year.
2005
The summer reading program, Dragons, Dreams, and Daring Deeds, was a popular program, with over 100 children registered. The library started a Dungeons and Dragons role-playing group that proved popular with middle school students. The group was organized and run by Dungeon Master Justin Coates. In August 2005, Vanessa Morris replaced Maria McCarville as Library Director. In October 2005, the library began purchasing DVDs and, through the acquisition of a public performance license, the library began to show weekly family movies.
2006
National City Bank donated ten refurbished computers to the library, which were used to replace the six outdated public computers, and add an additional four computers. The summer reading program theme that year was Paws, Claws, Scales & Tales. Over 75 people attended the kickoff pizza party on June 15. Exciting programs were presented by Gordon the Magician and Leader Dogs for the Blind. Later that year, through a project involving the United Way and the Guidance Center, volunteers built a new puppet stage. The library also received four computers from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the fall, making it a great resource for people looking for free online access. At the end of the year, the library joined MySpace to reach out to teens.
2007
In 2007, library hours were reduced due to budget constraints. Linda Przybylowicz replaced Susan Hunnicutt as the Youth Services Librarian. The summer reading theme was Get a Clue, and included mysteries for children to solve. The library began participation the Museum Adventure Pass program, sponsored by Macy's. The program allows residents to check out passes good for free admission to several area museums.
2008
Computer classes began in 2008. A new computer was received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, bringing the total number of public computers up to 14. AmeriCorps visited the library in March and touched up the paint in the adult section of the library. The summer reading program was Catch the Reading Bug. This was also the first year the library had a separate teen summer reading program.
2009
The library joined Facebook and Twitter as new ways to promote itself. The library's millage was increased by .2 mills. The increase was passed by a City Council resolution to get the library out of deficit spending. The summer reading programs were Be Creative @ Your Library for kids, and Express Yourself @ Your Library for teens. A programmable thermostat was installed in an effort to save more energy and reduce bills. The library participated in the Park & Read program, which provided free access to many of the state's parks.

History of River Rouge

If you are looking for information on the history of River Rouge, you might like to visit the River Rouge Historical Museum. The museum is located at 10750 W. Jefferson and is open on Sundays. For more information and the hours of the museum, you can contact the Mayor's office at (313) 842-4200.