Detroit has 21 public library branches and is the fourth largest public library system in the United States. With this many locations, it shouldn’t be a problem for citizens to find a good book to read or a place to study. However, the Detroit branches close at 6 p.m. most days, while other libraries usually have a closing time of 8 p.m. Part of the reason for the limited hours is that the city’s library gets funded with taxes from residents.

Detroit has gone from a peak population in the 1950s of nearly 1.8 million residents to currently an estimated population of just under 700,000, according to recent census data.

Over a third of the citizens in Detroit have trouble with reading and writing skills, according to a recent report in the Huffington Post. The current high school graduation rate is about 64 percent, the highest since 2006, but far below the national average. In a city where many people can barely read or write and more than 35 percent of the kids aren’t graduating high school, it would seem important for libraries in the city to be funded. .

In 2014, voters approved a millage that helped to keep the DPL open. Last year, the DPL main branch celebrated being open for 150 years. This year, the Frederick Douglass branch of the Detroit Public Library opened up a new technology center. These facts suggest the DPL may have better days ahead, particularly given recent financial problems.

In 2011, the DPL had significant budget cuts resulting in the closing of four branches. DPL administrators received criticism that year for closing neighborhood branches while approving $2.3 million in renovations of its main branch. In 2013, months after Detroit declared the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, the future of the DPL was uncertain. In 2014, voters approved to renew the library millage, keeping the DPL open.

That same year, the FBI investigated the DPL for fraud. According to the FBI, contractors “Henley and Hearn paid former Detroit Public Library Chief Administrative Officer Timothy Cromer a total of $1.4 million in kickbacks in return for contracts for information technology services with the Detroit Public Library during the period 2007 to 2010....On September 16, 2014, Cromer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the bribery conspiracy, and ordered to pay $3,913,890.42 in restitution to the library.”

Overcoming a potentially costly scandal and receiving citizen support, the DPL is now looking ahead with a renewed emphasis on building literacy programs for the residents of Detroit. The “Detroit Reads” program offers free weekly tutoring for adult learners, including help with passing the GED. The “Library on Wheels” program brings books and other reading materials to senior citizen centers and schools in the city. The Helping Young People Excel (HYPE) program uses digital technology to encourage Detroit teens to read. Visit detroitpubliclibrary.org for more information.