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Romulus Municipal Library reports record use, outlines three-year strategic plan
Summary
Library Director Patty Braden told the Romulus City Council the library logged roughly 49,000 visits in the last year, expanded hours and renovated adult spaces, and presented a three‑year strategic plan emphasizing outreach, marketing and staff retention.
Patty Braden, Romulus Municipal Library director, told the Romulus City Council on April 14 that the library recorded “over 48, almost 49,000 visitors” in the past year and is expanding services and spaces to meet rising demand.
Braden presented usage statistics, recent facility upgrades, community partnerships and a three‑year strategic plan for 2024–2027. She said public computer sessions rose about 13 percent, downloadable (digital) checkouts increased roughly 27 percent, and summer‑reading registrations rose about 31 percent. "We are now open at 9 a.m., Monday through Thursday, over 60 hours a week, more than any time in the library's history," Braden said.
The library opened two new quiet study rooms with charging stations, added modern study tables and lounge seating, updated AV shelving and signage, and completed an adult‑area renovation following an earlier circulation‑desk upgrade. Braden said the library replaced a Dewey Decimal arrangement with a BISAC topical layout to make materials easier to find and reported nearly 60,000 total physical checkouts for the year.
Braden described expanded outreach to Huron Township — attending Huron Applefest and Rotary events, providing story time at area early‑childhood centers and donating books to classrooms — and renewed partnerships with Romulus schools that resulted in a record number of student library cards. She said staff hosted community feedback sessions that informed the strategic plan's top five priorities: expand outreach, create more comfortable spaces, increase marketing, acquire more downloadable content, and support staff retention.
Council members praised the turnaround since the library's closure more than a decade ago. Councilman Wadsworth recalled the years when the library was closed and said the current operation — now open daily for longer hours with robust programming — represents “a job well done.” Council members also asked for details about how the library achieved year‑over‑year growth; Braden credited staff programming and community events.
Braden dedicated the presentation to Tammy Garrison, a longtime library volunteer and Friends of the Library officer, and closed by noting the library was one of seven Michigan libraries selected for additional downloadable content. She concluded: "The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty."
