Our History and Purpose
We enrich the lives of Orion Township. We achieve this through a welcoming environment providing lifelong access to knowledge, connection, and discovery.
Our History
The Lake Orion Library, established by the Lake Orion Women's Club in 1926, was first located on the second floor of 37 E. Flint Street. In 1929, Orion Township residents ratified a proposition to levy taxes in support of the Lake Orion Library, renaming it the Orion Township Free Public Library.
In 1940, the library was moved to the Hemingway House on Lapeer Street in the Village of Lake Orion and grew until the floorboards sagged.
In 1964, the first formal library was built at 845 S Lapeer Road. Opening in 1965, this building met the community's needs for the next 23 years.
In 1986, the Orion community passed a bond to create the new Orion Township Public Library to serve the next generation of Orion residents. The 29,000 square foot building opened at it's current location on Joslyn Road in February of 1989. Designed to serve a population of 30,000 and house a collection of 100,000 volumes with a capacity for a 200,000 items per year circulation, the new Orion Township Public Library was spacious and inviting, offering quiet study areas, comfortable seating, meeting rooms for community gatherings, and the latest titles, as well as state-of-the-art computers and other new technologies.
Strategic Plan
Orion Township Public Library initiated a strategic planning process starting in late 2022. Fast Forward Libraries LLC was engaged in January 2023 to facilitate the planning process in three phases: Learn, Dream, Do.
The Learn phase entailed forming a Planning Team to guide the process, holding staff and Board feedback sessions, conducting a community survey, and leading focus groups.
In the Dream phase, the Planning Team discussed possible future priorities for the library. This strategic plan will guide staff through the Do phase, as the library executes its vision for the future.​
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