Library Staff

Maria McCarville, Director

Lynne Coles, Librarian

Sue Steiger, Librarian

We also employ Student Interns from local Library and Information Science programs and receive valuable help from community volunteers.

Brief History of the Library

The federal Pratt-Smoot Act of 1931 established a network of libraries around the country for the dissemination of recorded books for the blind. The Wayne County Library was one of the original 19 regional libraries designated for this purpose by the Library of Congress.

The national network of libraries for the blind operates under the supervision of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress (NLS). The network usually consists of one Regional library in each state, each of which can have one or more branches, termed Subregionals. The State of Michigan is one of the few states having two Regional libraries: one in Wayne County, serving the largest county in the state, and the other in Lansing, serving the rest of the state. Wayne County Regional Library has one Subregional library located in the City of Detroit. Wayne County Regional has also been designated as a “Machine Lending Agency”, which entails additional responsibilities in terms of providing equipment to Subregional patrons in addition to our own, and keeping detailed records of transactions.

Regional Libraries are required by NLS to meet certain standards of funding, staffing, hours of operation, etc. We are also required to have the complete NLS collection of Talking Books available for loan. In addition to Talking Books (books on tape), the Library also loans Large Print books and Descriptive Videos to eligible patrons. For patron convenience, service is primarily conducted by phone and mail, and all services are free. Those patrons who visit the Library in person have access to computers installed with assistive technology.

Funding for the Wayne County Regional Library is as follows: Federal Government: free supply of Talking Books, playback equipment, computer program for book circulation, informational and promotional materials. State of Michigan: state aid paid through the Library of Michigan. Wayne County: balance of budget, covering personnel, housing, equipment and supplies, etc.

The Wayne County Library for the Blind currently serves thousands of patrons in Wayne County. About 85,000 Talking Books, 1,600 Large Print Books, and 1,400 Descriptive Videos are mailed to patrons yearly.

The Wayne County Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped is located in Westland, MI, at the corner of Henry Ruff and Michigan Avenue. Our beautiful brick building used to be a credit union.