Parking Lot Construction: As part of our ongoing work to maintain and improve Central Library, the parking lot will be closed for construction from Tuesday, July 28, to Saturday, August 1. Visit the Central Library page for more details. 

Notice of Public Meeting: Kalamazoo Public Library Board of Trustees | July 27 | 5:30 pm | Central Library/Van Deusen Room. The packet of information for the meeting can be found on the library’s website. 

Local History

Immigrants

denBleyker, Paulus

Paulus denBleyker, his family and employees were among the first Dutch pioneers to settle in Kalamazoo. In 1846 Rev. Albertus VanRaalte had preceded him to western Michigan, and in his letters he spoke of the opportunities and future that existed...

Germans in Kalamazoo

In the later half of the 19th century, Kalamazoo saw a significant rise in the influence and clout of German immigrants, many of whom brought to the Kalamazoo area skills and trade knowledge...

Irish in Kalamazoo

Portrait of John Dudgeon, c.1870-1880 Irish migration patterns in the 19th century suggests that most who arrived in Michigan, ended up either working as manual laborers in Detroit or Grand…

Latvian Immigration Story

“It is clear that the Latvians are one of the many ethnic groups that enrich Michigan’s culture. They are a “tile” that helps to form the state’s vivid cultural mosaic.”…

The Dutch Influence

“Between 1820 and 1840, the number of Hollanders coming to America had averaged fewer than one hundred a year. Between 1847 and 1857 ten times that number arrived, nearly half…