Richfield Township Library

Library Showcase:

ILibrary Showcase: Richfield Township Library

The town of St. Helen is small, but it does not limit the potential of its residents. With the help of the Richfield Township Library, the small community has raised a famous actor, supported a local author, organized many events, applied for grants, and are active in preserving their history.

Opened at the beginning of 1965, the Richfield Township Library was located in the basement of the St. Helen Elementary School and was open for ten hours per week. Just two years later, a new 5200 sq. ft. community building for Richfield Township was dedicated in September of 1967 for housing the township offices, commercial recreations facilities and the library. The library was allocated a 24 X 15 ft. room. In 1998, after nine years of fundraising, memorials, donations, monies received from state and county penal fines and the township itself and with the tireless work of the St. Helen Friends of the Library, ground was broken for a 802 sq. ft. addition.

Sharing the community building with the township has it’s benefits for the library. In December of 2005, thanks to their Township Supervisor, Richard Wood, who wrote and received a USDA grant, the library, along with the township offices and the police department received much-needed new equipment. The library received a new copy/fax machine, three new DSL flat-screen computers and a new telephone system. After the old computer dial-up system, the new high-speed computer system was a welcome improvement.

The town’s rich history has been preserved in written form; in 1974, a native resident, Peggy Diss, set herself the task of writing a history of St. Helen and Richfield Township. In 1967, after extensive collection and classifying of material, “The Heritage of Richfield Township” was available for sale. The book begins with a chapter of the lumbering days when St. Helen was first settled. A chapter on actor Charlton Heston tells of his boyhood days in St. Helen as well as his return visits to the area. This book, along with it’s 1994 updated version, “Time Marches on”, are both sold in the library and have helped raise funds for operating expenses.

The library has a very active St. Helen Friends of the Library organization that has raised thousands of dollars over the years to help the library. To name a few, they sponsor an annual talent show or concert, an annual dinner theatre, and annual silent auction as well as other fundraising projects. They are currently raising funds to help with the expenses of automating the library. The Friends have been instrumental in updating and re-cataloging the children’s section of the library. They also sponsor a monthly Children’s Free Movie night with free popcorn and juice and a free monthly Pre-school Story/Craft Hour. They have approximately 60 members.

The library itself has a yearly “Book Appraisal Night” where residents can have books appraised for a minimal fee as well as a “Meet the Author Night” featuring local authors. The library also sponsors an annual Children’s Reading Contest.

To honor former members of their community the library has a Memorial Tree. For a donation of $25.00, a leaf engraved with the name of a loved one is placed on their Memorial Tree located in the library.

The library provides a variety of material for patrons; new best sellers, classics, magazines, music CD’s and audio books, and both cassette and CD. Fax/copy services are also available for a small fee. Two books that do not check out are; “The Actor’s Life: Journal 1956-1976” and a first edition of “In the Arena” that are signed by Charlton Heston and are on display.

We salute the Richfield Township 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