The Ladies’ Library Association opened Kalamazoo’s first lending library in 1852, sparking a tradition of learning and community service that continues today. Over decades, members steadily added volumes to build a shared resource for the growing town. By 1879 the shelves held more than 2,000 books, and by 1908 that number had reached 3,000.
Today, the collection is no longer available for loan, but many of these well-loved volumes remain on our shelves as a testament to Kalamazoo’s literary roots. Among them are works by beloved 19th-century authors like Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Together, these books not only honor the generations of LLA members who brought public access to literature to Kalamazoo, but also offer a glimpse into the literary tastes, daily life, and historical events that shaped their world.
