Herrick District Library

Herrick District Library
42.7863°N 86.1098°W / 42.7863; -86.1098
Location	Holland, Michigan, United States
Type	Public library
Established	1960 (as Herrick Public Library); 1997 (as a district library)
Access and use
Population served	109,385 (2024)
Other information
Website	www.herrickdl.org

Herrick District Library (HDL) is a public library system based in Holland, Michigan. The district serves the City of Holland and the townships of Holland, Laketown, and Park. The system consists of the Main Library on South River Avenue and the North Branch on Riley Street. In 2024, the Library of Michigan listed the library's service population as 109,385.

History

A library was established in Holland in 1847 under the township school board. When Holland was incorporated as a city in 1867, the collection was divided between the city and Holland Township. By the late nineteenth century, the city's library was located on the second floor of the former fire department building on East Eighth Street. It later moved above the Model Drug Store before relocating to the second floor of the new City Hall in 1911.

In 1953, Hazel Hayes was hired as Holland's first professional librarian. Seeking funding for a separate library building, Hayes wrote to businessman Ray Herrick, the owner of Tecumseh Products, in January 1958. Herrick subsequently offered $300,000 toward construction of a library, initially requesting that his identity as the donor remain confidential. The city purchased a site on River Avenue between 12th and 13th streets, and the new building was named the Herrick Public Library. It was dedicated on May 7, 1960, and opened to the public two days later.

Herrick Public Library was reorganized as Herrick District Library in 1997. The district was formed to provide library services for the City of Holland and the townships of Holland, Laketown, and Park. Voters approved a 1.5-mill property-tax proposal that year to support library operations and an expansion of the Main Library. The expanded Main Library was dedicated in June 1999. The project substantially enlarged the 1960 building while retaining portions of its original River Avenue exterior.

The North Branch at 155 Riley Street was completed in early 2000. In August 2016, voters approved a 14-year renewal of the library's 1.5-mill operating levy. The North Branch was subsequently renovated and expanded, with construction completed in 2021.

The Main Library underwent another major renovation beginning in the 2020s. The project included infrastructure upgrades and changes to study, meeting, technology, children's, and reading spaces. The approximately $5.7 million project was funded from the library's existing operating resources rather than through a new bond or millage increase. Construction was substantially completed in 2024, and the library held a public celebration of the renovated building in February 2025.

Herrick District Library is a member of the Lakeland Library Cooperative, through which participating West Michigan libraries share materials and borrowing privileges.