As the end of the twentieth century neared, the Library continued to experience growth. By 1991 the annual circulation had increased to nearly one million and the collection size to over 350,000 items, or more than twice the size of the collection at the time of the first addition in 1974. It became clear that the Library would again need more space.
The Library’s second addition came just as it was being cabled for a new automation system. The cabling had to be done three times as the Library shifted to parts of the building where construction was not occurring. According to an article in the Ann Arbor News, the project architect compared the renovation and expansion to “doing a heart transplant on someone while they’re running the Boston Marathon,”* and at one point an entire department was moved to a temporary location a few blocks away.
As a part of the addition, the Library’s large collection of art books, primarily donated by the Ladies’ Library Association, received dedicated space on the new Language, Literature and Art floor. The Library moved into its expanded quarters in the fall of 1991, just after its thirty-fourth anniversary in this location.
Soon after moving into the newly renovated building, which had again nearly doubled in size, the Library made the transition to an electronic catalog for the public. For many, this has been the most significant change to library service in recent history. The 1990s also brought the rise of the Internet, and the Library responded with a new website and Internet access for patrons. April 16, 1997, “Log On @ The Library Day” launched the Library’s pioneering website, complete with catalog searching capabilities and online request functions.
In 1997, soon after the premier of the website, the Library was named “National Library of the Year” by Library Journal, the first library in Michigan to receive the honor.
The 1990s also brought a major change to the Library’s organization. A change in state law required the Library to end its century-old relationship with the Ann Arbor Public Schools and become an independent district library with its own elected board of directors. The transition took place during 1995, culminating in the Library Board’s inaugural meeting and a successful push for funding the following year.
*“Library growth requires ‘whole lot of juggling’” Ann Arbor News 25 June 1989.