The Wayne County Library System records is organized into four series: the Library Board Files, Community Projects and Services, the Braille and Talking Book Library, and Photographs. The Library Board Files brings together board proceedings, agendas and meeting minutes from founding of the library system in 1920 through until the 1980's. It also contains information regarding library services, monthly reports, and plans to move the headquarters in the 1960's.
The Community Projects and Services series is an alphabetized series of folders related to the neighborhoods, townships, and cities covered by the services of the Wayne County Library System. Each set of records includes documentation of projects, promotional materials, and meeting minutes. Also included in this series are reference materials and meeting minutes.
The Braille and Talking Book Library series contains materials, statistics, and board proceedings related to the establishment and operations of the Braille and Talking Book Library, previously known as the Library for the Blind. Some of the materials in this series may overlap with the Library Board Files, as the Braille and Talking Book Library was a major service provided by the library system.
The Photograph series includes photographs of the headquarters construction and move in 1958-1960; photographs from libraries around Wayne County; and oversized portraits of county librarian, Loleta Dawson Fyan, and directors Leo T. Dinnan, and Walter H. Kaiser.
The Wayne County Library system was founded in 1920 to serve the population in the metro Detroit area. It was one of the first, and later, the largest county library system in the state. By 1981, it had grown to serve 28 cities and townships, including: Taylor, Ecorse, River Rouge, Lincoln Park, Allen Park, Melvindale, Trenton, Southgate, Romulus, Inkster, and Belleville. When it was first established, the library system focused on providing library services to areas of the county without access to a public library. Membership in the Wayne County Library system was voluntary, and communities paid the county commensurate to the level of service provided. The county handled financial, fundraising, and staffing for membership libraries.
As the system itself grew, the county also established the Wayne County Regional Library for the Blind (later known as the Braille and Talking Book Library) in 1931, to serve blind and print-disabled patrons. The collection put talking books and materials into the hands of patrons locally, as well as allowed patrons to work with librarians in-person and receive hands-on service.
The library system saw its membership slowly decline as overhead fees grew, with notable departures beginning in the 2010s. Between 2010 and 2011, the libraries of Southgate, Romulus, Inkster, and Belleville became independent of the county system. Later, in 2014, River Rouge, Lincoln Park, Allen Park, Melvindale, and Trenton's library systems left, as well, leaving Taylor, Ecorse, and the Braille and Talking Book libraries the only ones in the system. Wayne County faced a budget deficit in 2015, leading to the closure of the county library system. Taylor and Ecorse took control of their community libraries; the Braille and Talking Book library was closed, with services transferring to Lansing, Michigan. In 2016, Taylor Community Library took in the materials from the Braille and Talking Book Library and opened a Braille and Talking Books division, with services facilitated by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.
