195. Rush City, MN, Public Library

Once agiain, my impressions began outside, with a large sign hanging in a window of this storefront setting. It pays to advertise; I love how the sign lists all the services available at the library, just as if it were a Main Street store looking for business.

A book sale was underway on several tables, and I found a number of goodies, including a like-new copy of Bartholomew and the Oobleck, one of the first Seuss books I ever read.

A poster shows a duck and her ducklings, carrying umbrellas and tote bags, with the words "Please protect our books." This reminds me of every time I have to get out the paper towels when patrons come in on a rainy day and don't even seem to notice (or care) that their books became wet between the car and the door.

There were a number of reminders of the summer reading program that will be winding down next week. In one corner a tarp was on the floor with some dirt "paths" and what appeared to be large plastic worms. On a wall was a poster "Vote for your favorite chip"; apparently chips had been made from various vegetables that grow underground: taro, yuca (sic), sweet potato, beet, and parsnip. Yuca won. But I think my favorite was a vocabulary poster of "Cave Words" like spelunker and stalactite, each illustrated with a photograph.

The "back" wall (the wall opposite the entrance) is made of two very wide windows, both covered with sheer white curtains. They are very attractive, and as I told the librarians, I've only seen library window curtains in one other place, Canaan, New Hampshire. (Actually, I told them Hollis; I was wrong, it's Canaan.) One side of this "back" area may have been recently used for a program; there were folding chairs, folded, against the wall, and the area had sort of a "pushed back" look. The other side is the children's area. Two tween girls were giggling and having a grand time here, so I kept my distance. Nothing like an old lady wandering around with a notebook and pencil to squelch tween fun!

A neat piece of passive programming was a fabric bag called the Digger Bag. It was full of various small objects and plastic packing peanuts. The challenge: find and identify objects without looking. The request: Pick up the plastic peanuts that fall on the floor while you hunt.

For more information, go to http://ecrl.lib.mn.us/rushcity.html.

After visiting the library, go around the corner to the Rush City Bakery. Everything looked good; I can only vouch for the apple fritter, which was very good.