The West Bloomfield Township Public Library is located in West Bloomfield, Michigan, northwest of Detroit. The library system consists of the Main Branch and the Westacres Branch and serves the communities of West Bloomfield Township, and the cities of Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake and Sylvan Lake. West Bloomfield was ranked on Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings Index of top public libraries in 2005 and 2008 and has overall 150 employees. The West Bloomfield Township Public Library has been named one of 10 recipients of the 2010 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the United States of America's highest honor for museums and libraries. The annual award, made by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) since 1994, recognizes institutions (5 libraries and 5 museums) for outstanding social, educational, environmental, or economic contributions to their communities. History Main library Early years The library system of West Bloomfield has grown as the community has grown. A library was first formed in West Bloomfield in 1934, when 38 members of the Keego-Cass Women’s Club gathered books and placed them in a room in their clubhouse. From 1939 to 1947, the library was located in the balcony and then the basement of Town Hall. When the library outgrew the Town Hall spaces, it re-located to a room in the Keego Harbor Community Center. The West Bloomfield School System purchased the community center in 1950 and allowed the library to stay for free. When the school system vacated the building in 1954, the library was allowed to stay, but once again, by 1957 the library needed more space and moved to Keego Harbor Standard School Building. Orchard Lake Rd. location When Keego Harbor became a city in 1955 and the library needed additional space, it was decided that a library needed to be built in West Bloomfield. In 1963, a library opened on Orchard Lake Road. This facility contained enough space for 50,000 books and a meeting room. Walnut Lake location In 1984, a new Main Library location was constructed adjacent to Walnut Lake Rd. next to the West Bloomfield Town Hall and Police Station. The new location offered more space, , which increased to 25,000 square feet in 1988 during the second phase of the project. The library’s collection at this point was approximately 90,000 books and 75,000 non-book items. In 1994, the library began offering the Internet to patrons in the