Wayne State University Libraries

From middle school classroom to school library, Kate Hedrick has spent her career finding new ways to connect students with learning.

Kate came to Wayne State's online graduate certificate in Library and Information Science as a language arts teacher and school library paraprofessional. Based in Spring Lake, Mich., and mom to two busy boys, the online format made continuing her education possible without putting the rest of her life on hold.

She's hoping to graduate this semester."Every class was meaningful to my future career," she said.

With all of our wonderful resources available to help students, why wouldn’t you come to the libraries??

Today is Wayne State's 10th annual Giving Day and the University Libraries are proud to support the Detroit community we're a part of.

WSU's Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program delivers free, age-appropriate books every month to children from birth to age 5 in Detroit's Midtown and Wayne State area. No cost to families. Just books, delivered to their door, building a love of reading from day one.

Launched in 2020 by WSU Library System staff inspired by Dolly Parton's mission, the program is expanding to additional Detroit zip codes in 2026 thanks to Giving Day donors like you. Your gift goes directly to books for Detroit children in our community. $32 covers a full year. $160 funds a child's entire five-year Imagination Library experience: 60 books from birth to kindergarten.

Help us grow this program and bring us closer to our goal of reaching families across Detroit. Give today at go.wayne.edu/dpilgivingday26

Wayne State has been part of Detroit for more than a century and the Walter P. Reuther Library has the records to prove it.

This Giving Day, the Reuther is launching a project to digitize its collection of 132 WSU-affiliated yearbooks spanning 1900 to 2005. These volumes trace the university's earliest days, from Detroit College of Medicine, College of the City of Detroit, Detroit Teachers College and Detroit College of Law through generations of students who grew our community.

Let's make this history freely available online to anyone who wants to explore it. For WSU alumni, this is a chance to get your own yearbook digitized and share a piece of Detroit's history with the world. Give today at go.wayne.edu/givereuther2026.