Flint is the birthplace of General Motors. The history of the city and the company has been intertwined since GM’s founding in 1908. Through good times and challenging times, GM has always been part of the fabric of this community.
More than a century later, General Motors continues to invest in Flint as a manufacturing center and provides support that improves the quality of life for the community.
The General Motors Special Collections Room pays tribute to that ongoing relationship. When the Library began planning its renovation, collection storage presented a monumental challenge. Where on earth can you find more than 14,500 square feet of available, appropriate, and affordable space that can hold books, movies, CDs and more?
This was the question the Library faced, and GM generously provided an answer. For nearly two years, the Library stored approximately 50% of its collection in a former GM tank plant-turned-warehouse located in Grand Blanc. GM converted the building’s locker room into collection storage space so that the Library staff could access books and other items as needed.
The General Motors Special Collections Room honors this in-kind gift of storage space. And it makes sense. After all, the Special Collections Room holds many rare and otherwise irreplaceable items that are also part of the historical fabric that makes up this community.
Flint has produced some amazing, visionary people…people such as Dallas Dort, Billy Durant, and Charles Stewart Mott, who brought the automobile age to Flint. What will be the next big thing? Which child of today will be tomorrow’s captain of industry? The truth is that no one knows. It could very well be a child who finds his or her inspiration at the Gloria Coles Flint Public Library. A strong, vibrant Library is essential for the entire community, and inspirational for the next great person from Flint who will change the world.
