Newsletters and Press Releases

August 3, 2026

Bloomfield Township Public Library is not only a welcoming place ripe with print and digital resources and programs for all ages. It is a place of beauty. This is especially true during the summer months when the gardens are in bloom. This August, the Library is offering two opportunities to tour its beautiful and bountiful gardens.

Tour participants will join landscape designer and horticulturalist Jim Slezinski from Goldner Walsh Garden and Home for a guided tour of the Library gardens and terraces. During the tour, Slezinski will explain the flowers, plants, trees, and shrubs and talk about their history.

The adult-focused Library Garden Tour will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 18, and Thursday, August 20. Tour content will be the same on both dates.

Bloomfield Township Public Library is home to 13 unique garden spaces of varying sizes in addition to a rich greenscape of different tree species that surrounds the multi-acre Library.

The beauty of the Library’s gardens is undeniable. As one patron recently put it, “They just keep getting better and better. They are such a treat for all who visit.”

Registration is required for this free and popular program, which fills up quickly each year. For more information, please call the Library at (248) 642-5800.

July 28, 2026

Dinosaurs, digging, discovery, and a whole lot of fun for all ages. Those have been the ingredients of Bloomfield Township Public Library’s 2026 Summer Reading Challenge. On Friday, August 7, the dinosaurs will depart, and the multi-month Jurassic-themed Challenge will conclude with the Summer Reading Wrap Up Event to be held at the Library from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

The culminating event will feature an afternoon of digging and building inside and outside the Library with outdoor art, games, and activities for all ages. Attendees can then cool off with treats for purchase from the Kona Ice food truck. Musical guest Randy Kaplan will also perform sing-along summer tunes from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

This year, a total of 800 residents participated in the June-August Summer Reading Challenge, an annual themed event during which participants of all ages and reading abilities log their reading to earn rewards and multiple chances to win prizes after hitting reading milestones or completing activities.

This summer’s theme, Unearth A Story, featured dinosaurs and archeological discovery and had participants of all ages uncovering adventure-filled books and exploring hands-on crafts and kits. Challenge participants and other community members also enjoyed a full slate of Library programs, such as: Make Your Own Dino Garden, an Archaeological Escape Room, and a University of Michigan Natural History Museum Workshop on Feathered Dinosaurs and Modern Birds. Over the course of the Summer Reading Challenge, the Library presented 38 programs in addition to its regular programming like book clubs and story times.

For added fun, the Library also did a Prize Patrol, going to the homes of 12 random winners in Bloomfield Township who received a bag full of Library-and reading-themed prizes if they had one of three artfully designed Library-issued lawn signs supporting the Library displayed when the Prize Patrol arrived.

“The annual Summer Reading Challenge is always a community favorite,” said Katherine Dupuis, Assistant Library Director at Bloomfield Township Public Library. “Summer is a time for having fun and strengthening family connections. Reading together is a wonderful way for families to bond, and the themed prizes and programs that are part of the Summer Reading Challenge – such as the upcoming Wrap Up event – add an extra level of fun. That is in part why people of all ages look forward to participating each year.”

After a summer full of Reading Challenge fun, the dinosaurs will depart the Library after a last hurrah at the Summer Reading Wrap Up Event, leaving a fond-yet-crater-sized impression on participants’ hearts.

No registration is required to attend the all-ages Summer Reading Wrap Up event, and both participants and non-participants in the Summer Reading Challenge are welcome to join the fun.

For more information, please call the Library at (248) 642-5800.

July 28, 2026

We each have our own life story that we write each day. Each of us, too, is part of a family with its own compound story that spans generations. By offering the program Preserving Personal Archives in the Digital Age, Bloomfield Township Public Library will help community members safeguard their personal history and contribute to shared cultural memory.

During the program, participants will learn simple systems for long-term storage and discover how to conceptualize small-scale “living archives” using a hybrid approach that blends new technology with traditional archival practices. Through case studies in citizen archiving, they will also be introduced to practical ways to organize, preserve, and extend the life of photos, documents, and digital files.

The educational program will be presented by Cal LaFountain, a writer and researcher exploring cultural memory, archival storytelling, and emergent preservation technologies. It will take place at the Library on Thursday, August 13, at 7 p.m.

“Every individual’s story is an important and unique thread in the fabric of the community and our broader collective history,” said Laura J. Kraly, Head of the Library’s Adult and Teen Services Department, of which the Library’s Local History Collection is a part. “This program will help participants purposefully and meaningfully preserve their story in a living archive for future generations.”

Registration for the free, adult program is required and can be made online via the Library’s website. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Bloomfield Township Public Library.

Bloomfield Township Public Library is actively seeking donations of local history and personal archive materials for the Library’s Local History Collection. For more information about the Preserving Personal Archives in the Digital Age program or donating local history materials, contact the Library at (248) 642-5800.

July 22, 2026

Some books transport us to other worlds or help us discover different states of being. Others support academic exploration and growth. Still others help us connect with our personal past. The books and materials featured at the Friends of the Bloomfield Township Library’s Second Saturday Book Sale will aid all these endeavors.

The Saturday, August 8 sale will spotlight books on alternative realities and consciousness. It will also highlight genealogy books and textbooks, including those for test preparation. The multi-room sale will further include a plethora of books and audiovisual materials for all ages and interests conveniently sorted into more than 50 categories, as well as a room dedicated to music and film.

The walk-in event will be hosted on the lower level of the Bloomfield Township Public Library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members of the Friends group may shop the sale early from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Those who are not yet Friends members can purchase a membership at the door on the day of the sale.

After shopping the sale, those interested in genealogy are encouraged to stop by the Adult and Teen Services desk to register for the Library’s upcoming Preserving Personal Archives in the Digital Age program taking place on Thursday, August 13.

Debit cards may be used for book sale purchases in any amount. Credit cards may be used with a $5 minimum purchase. By purchasing books at the sale, patrons support the Library and help strengthen the community resources and services it provides.

Since 1995, proceeds from the Second Saturday Sales have allowed the Friends to donate over $1.85 million to support the Library beyond its operating budget, with over $105,000 donated last year alone. Donations from sale proceeds have paid for artwork and sculptures around the Library, the beautiful gardens, programs and events for adults and children, and additions to Library collections. The Friends continue to accept donations of books and media in good condition.

July 2, 2026

School may be out, but enjoying a good book is always in. The Friends of the Bloomfield Township Library will help families ease into summer this July with a Second Saturday Book Sale featuring a stupendous selection of entertaining, enriching, and boredom-busting children’s materials.

The sale, to be held on Saturday, July 11, will feature a large and diverse assortment of children’s books, DVDs, games and puzzles. It will also include foreign language children’s materials. A rich and plentiful selection of adult books and materials will also be available.

During the sale, all children’s materials will be priced half-off. No further teacher discount will be extended. Debit cards may be used for purchases in any amount. Credit cards may be used with a $5 minimum purchase. By purchasing books at the sale, patrons not only support the Library, but help children (or themselves) discover new worlds, engage their imagination, learn new things and build skills.

The walk-in event will be hosted on the lower level of the Bloomfield Township Public Library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members of the Friends group may shop the sale early from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Those who are not yet Friends members can purchase a membership at the door on the day of the sale.

After shopping the sale, both adults and children are encouraged to join the Library’s Unearth a Story Summer Reading Challenge by registering in person at the Library or online.

Since 1995, proceeds from the Second Saturday Sales have allowed the Friends to donate over $1.85 million to support the Library beyond its operating budget, with over $105,000 donated last year alone. Donations from sale proceeds have paid for artwork and sculptures around the Library, the beautiful gardens, programs and events for adults and children, and additions to Library collections. The Friends continue to accept donations of books and media in good condition.