To all Romulus residents, and to all Romulus Public Library cardholders:

In preparation for their anticipated closing on May 1, the Romulus Public Library has stopped checking out all materials. As a member of The Library Network cooperative, the Romulus Public Library had a reciprocal borrowing agreement in place that allowed you to use neighboring libraries.

While we here at the Canton Public Library are happy to reciprocate with other communities, that reciprocity is based on mutual sharing; we cannot bear the financial burden of serving Romulus residents when Romulus is eliminating funding for their library.

Because the Romulus Public Library has stopped lending to Canton residents in violation of our reciprocal borrowing agreement, the Canton Public Library Board voted at their April 21 meeting to stop lending to Romulus Public Library cardholders, effective immediately.

While you may enter the Canton Public Library and use library resources within the building, we will not honor Romulus Public Library cards for checkout of materials or for program registration. As always, non-resident cards may be purchased to receive full services at the Canton Public Library only, at a cost equivalent to what the average Canton property owner pays in annual taxes to support Canton library services. That rate is currently $170 per year.

The Romulus City Council has before them a proposal led by Sylvia Makowski, the President of the Friends of the Romulus Public Library, to: Form an independent municipal library; appoint five members to a municipal library board; and levy at least .2 mills in order to restore library service to five days per week. To date, Council has not yet acted on this proposal.

If you have concerns regarding library services in Romulus, please contact your Romulus Mayor (734-942-7571) and Council Members (734-955-4506):

• Alan R. Lambert, Mayor
• Leroy Burcroff, Mayor Pro-Tem
• Linda Choate
• William Wadsworth
• John Barden
• William Crova
• Celeste Roscoe
• Eva Webb

It is a sad day when a community closes its library. All of us here at the Canton Public Library remain hopeful that the Romulus City Council will find a way to continue to provide much-needed library services to their residents. When library services are once again established in Romulus, we welcome the opportunity to discuss resuming reciprocity between our communities.

Sincerely,

Eva M. Davis, Director