Fife Lake Public Library

Library Showcase:

In 1878, when Fife Lake was being settled, residents came together to provide the area with a school. The school was probably built in a style similar to that of a barn-raising. Community residents rallied together to raise money and they set aside time for construction. Women provided food and men worked together to build the frame and then raised it up.

The school building that the early settlers built is today being used to house the Fife Lake Public Library. The building has 1,000 square feet and houses 13,000 books and other materials. The building is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the Fife Lake Community. So, 127 years later, the Fife Lake Community is once again rallying together to provide the community with a new building. To date, over $500,000 has been raised for the construction. The land has been donated and the ground breaking ceremony is August 7 th.

It has taken several years to get to this point in the construction of the new library building. Five years ago, when library director Julie Gray heard that Fife Lake residents Jim and Marilyn Hayes were planning on constructing a 36 lot subdivision in Fife Lake, she approached them about donating land. Their answer was yes, and the new library will be located at the entrance of the subdivision, which is 1 ½ blocks form their current location and still in the downtown district. Jim Hayes has also donated his time and is construction manager for the project.

In addition to obtaining land, money has been raised. Much of the money raised has been donated by individuals, but grants from Dow, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Grand Traverse Area Rotaryn and the Olsen Foundation have helped them reach the $500,000 mark. $140,000 is still needed to be able to complete the project as planned. When the building is completed, it will have 3,800 square feet plus an additional 1,000 square foot community room. The new building will allow the library to purchase more books and allow for more programs.

Although the current library size limits programs, they are still planned and well attended. The night the new Harry Potter book came out; they had a party that 35 people attended. The party went from 10 until midnight and the ages of the children ranged from 8-16. Their Summer Reading Program is under way and they will have a conclusion party on July 30th which includes the “princesses” Miss Kalkaska, Teen, Pre-teen, and Little Miss Kalkaska who will read stories at the event.

Fife Lake’s “library-raising” is not going to be done exactly like their “school-raising” was done in the past, but the community drive and support for the building still exists as it did for the school. The men in the community may not be able to take days away from their jobs to help with the actual construction and workers may have to eat McDonald’s instead of home-cooking, but this project is still a community event as demonstrated by the funds raised and a testament to the value of libraries.

We salute the Fife Lake Public Library for all they have done for their community and are proud to have them as a member of the Mid-Michigan Library League.

Mid-Michigan Library League- 210 1/2 N. Mitchell- Cadillac, MI 49601
Phone: 800-968-0046 Fax: 800-968-3297

Website design: Holly Mercer
Last Update: March 29, 2007