Bayport Public Library, Bayport, MN -- Re-visit

This library is in a building that once (twice, actually) was a restaurant of some note; if you visit, be sure to see the framed menu near the library office; I'll take the sirloin steak dinner for $2.00!

I made this revisit in part because a co-worker tried to convince me that this is a small space, just the front of the building. No, my memory was correct on this one. The library uses the entire first floor, and has meeting rooms on the second. (An elevator is available.)

Even before entering I noted special touches, including flower gardens, a statue of a girl reading, and small patios with tables and chairs to either side of the entrance. Inside, the room to the left is the Mary Stout Reading Room, intended for quiet reading and housing the newspapers and periodicals. There is living room seating with a handsome fireplace. Old books are used as decorative elements throughout the room. A small adjoining room provides kitchen facilities, and it is easy to imagine a book club meeting here, with cookies and tea!

My favorite space is the less formal "log room" at the rear. It has a huge fireplace--the mantel is higher than my head, and I'm not short! There are study carrells and a study room with a two-hour limit. A note pointed out that the computer in this room is intended for special uses, like resume writing, major school projects, or proctored tests; the other public computers should be used for other purposes. It's good to spell that out, in my opinion. A glass-front bookshelf (we had one like it when I was a kid) holds what looks like a complete set of Agatha Christie mysteries.

A teen corner actually housed a teen when I was there, and he gave me a "hey, this is for teens" look when I peered around the corner. I moved on to the children's area, which has a long bay window with cushioned window seats and picture book bins. A prominent sign says that "Small children must be supervised at all times." I admired the sign and the librarian admitted that it doesn't always work as one would wish. I figure, however, that it must be nice to have it there to point to when it is needed.

A corner in the back houses the media collection and has a large window and a number of upholstered chairs. The staff office and service desk are in the middle of the building.

For more information, go to http://www.bayportlibrary.org/.

9/12/2013, car