The Royal Oak Public Library will be open with full service during the upcoming construction near the library. The four construction projects are: a multi-story parking structure immediately to the west of the library; a multi-story office building immediately to the west of city hall; a new police station and new city hall across Troy Street to the east of the library.
Here are some suggestions for accessing library services during this construction:
PARKING
Parking information will change during the course of the four construction projects going on near the library. Please check the updated parking information on the city’s website page for Rethink Royal Oak: www.romi.gov/1231/Rethink-RO.
The library is open seven days a week during the school year including weekday evenings and Saturdays. During the summer it is open weekdays and Saturdays. Evenings, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons may be times when parking is easier to access. Parking is free on Sundays. Additional parking including handicap spaces are be available behind the police station/city hall. This parking area is accessed from Troy Street.
ACCESS E-RESOURCES REMOTELY
Royal Oak Public Library has many electronic resources that can be accessed by smart phones, tablets, and computers with internet access. This includes, books, audio books, magazines, music, movies, and a wide variety of databases and online courses. These are all free and do not require coming to the library to use them. A Royal Oak Public Library card is needed to access these resources. An upcoming class is currently scheduled on Wednesday, July 18 at 7 PM for those who would like to familiarize themselves with these digital resources. Bring your tablet or smartphone with you to this session. Assistance in accessing these resources is available at the library at the adult reference desk.
USE NEIGHBORING LIBRARIES
Royal Oak Public Library cards are honored at all the libraries that border Royal Oak (and beyond). Your ROPL card allows you to borrow books at nearby libraries, place holds to be picked up at many of those libraries, return books to area libraries even if they were checked out at ROPL, etc. The public libraries in Clawson, Berkley, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Madison Heights, and Hazel Park are all part of our library cooperative and are part of our shared online catalog so it is easy check materials out at those libraries with your ROPL card and to place holds that can be picked up at those libraries. Troy Public Library is not part of our library cooperative and shared catalog, but Troy and Royal Oak have reciprocal arrangements so Royal Oak residents can receive Troy Public Library guest cards that allow them to check out Troy Public Library materials. Southfield Public Library and Baldwin (Birmingham) Public Library are part of our cooperative but not part of our shared online catalog. They honor Royal Oak Public Library cards.
NEW CATALOG IS HERE
On May 29, ROPL introduced a new library catalog. The new catalog system is called CARL and will have a variety of new customer friendly features. Because of this massive migration of library data to a new system, MelCat borrowing was suspended on April 1 and is scheduled to resume in September. MelCat is the statewide interloan system which allows borrowing from libraries all over Michigan including academic libraries. It is not The Library Network’s interloans system where library customers place holds using the shared catalog. Holds can still be placed through TLN’s shared catalog system and usually arrive for pick up within a few days (if the items are not already checked out). Please contact library staff if you need assistance in navigating the new catalog.
PROGRAMS
The library has an action packed summer reading program for all ages which kicks off on Saturday, June 9. Stay in touch with our programs via ROPL’s website (ropl.org) and monthly eLeaflet (sign up for this at ropl.org). Paper copies of Twigs and Leaflet that can be picked up at the library.
QUESTIONS
Please feel free to contact the library at 248 246 3700 during its open hours (Mon – Thurs, 10 AM – 9 PM, Fri and Sat 10 AM – 6 PM, and Sundays during the school year 1 PM – 5 PM).