March 1, 2025
Noah Peterson, Sun & News Staff Writer
The Friends of the Middleville Area Library recently partnered with Hopkins Fundraising Consulting, with the effort kicking off in January, as the group continues its efforts to give Middleville a freestanding public library.
“The feasibility study is a joint effort between the Middleville Village Council, Thornapple Kellogg Schools and the Friends of the Middleville Area Library,” said Friends group member Rachel Blocher.
“Letters were sent to the community stakeholders to set meetings with Hopkins Consulting to discuss their support of a free-standing library for the Middleville area community.”
Over the course of the next few months, representatives of the Friends group and members of the village council’s ad-hoc Library Committee will be dedicating their time to assist Keith Hopkins of Hopkins Fundraising Consulting in determining whether the transition to a free-standing public library is feasible in Middleville.
The study is hoped to shed light on how much support the project has from the donor community and to what degree the group can rely on philanthropic fundraising for that support.
Middleville is one of the few communities in West Michigan that doesn’t have its own stand-alone public library. Friends group members say the current public library in Middleville doesn’t have the funding, staff or open hours to adequately accommodate community-building opportunities.
Many Middleville residents have to drive to neighboring communities, such as Caledonia and Hastings, in order to attend community-building events such as story times, baby play times, accessible tech tutoring sessions and community events.
Since its beginning, the public library has been located at Thornapple Kellogg High School. The school district made space and provided funding for the public library and continues to do so. But having the public at a school does have limitations, say Friends group members, including very limited public access, shared staffing and constrained financial resources.
In addition, the library is unable to provide many of the services that residents enjoy in neighboring communities.
“Several years ago, a group of community leaders came together to explore the possibility of a permanent public library in Middleville,” Blocher said. “After months of careful planning, and an examination of community priorities and library needs, the leadership of the Friends of the Middleville Area Community Library, in conjunction with the Village of Middleville Ad-Hoc Committee, had developed a plan to make a new Middleville public library a reality.”
A few sites for a new library are being considered in the feasibility study. Final determination of a location for a library and building specifications will be decided by the Village of Middleville and the generosity of donors.
Members of the Library Committee have suggested sites that offer a walkable distance to downtown Middleville with a focus on easy accessibility and parking.
The Friends of the Middleville Area Library meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m., with the group’s next meeting scheduled on Wednesday, March 12, at the Middleville United Methodist Church.
Individuals may also support the ongoing effort by donating to the TAEF Beacon Society of the Friends of the Middleville Area Library, which seeks to promote the Lighting the Path of Literacy through Middleville’s local library.
Middleville Community Library 