The city library of Detroit, incorporated on August 26, 1817, was initially located in the University Building, with university teachers serving as librarians. Over the years, the University Building was occupied by various teachers, including D. B. Crane, who taught Latin and Greek and established a chemistry laboratory in the building. The University Building later served as the Detroit Branch School after the university moved to Ann Arbor.

In 1821, by a new enactment, the university itself