148. ECRL, Mora, MN

Two wall displays caught my eye right away: "Books are eggciting" with an Easter egg theme, and "There's snow better time to read" with a winter theme. Kids have also contributed art; one wall above the bookshelves has works by junior high students, another by second graders. The staff told me that several teachers bring in their students' work from time to time.

Each library has something I've never seen before. In this case, it is a set of floor-level back-to-back shelves for picture books, topped with a fabric-covered piece of foam. I was told that kids love to sprawl on this soft surface with a book.

I was talking to staff about each library having something that sets it apart, and I mentioned the cake pans available in the Osage, Iowa, library. They told me that at least once, they have had a Mora patron request a cake pan through Interlibrary Loan! It wasn't clear whether this came from Osage, however. Then I mentioned the knitting needles and rubber stamps loaned by the Canaan, NH, library, and I saw a certain glint in their eyes. Maybe in the future...?

The "back" wall is a row of windows overlooking a (frozen) body of water. There is a small deck with stairs that go down to a bench. I hope there are chairs on the deck in warmer seasons. To the left is a playground in "Library Park."

I was most struck here by the neatness of the bookshelves, both kids and adults. I don't think a single book missed alignment with the front of its shelf by more than 1/8". When I asked staff how this was managed, the reply was "Lots of busy elves."

What caught my eye as I headed out of town past the civic center / fairgrounds made me certain that Mora has Swedish roots.

3/2/13    car