496 Slayton Minnesota Public Library

Second stop on my September road trip, Slayton Public Library. Before I even went inside, I noticed something that struck me as unusual: Main Street parking. The street is very wide, with diagonal parking at both curbs and down the center. I've seen center parking before, but here you can pull into a diagonal space from either direction. This led me to wonder, do people ever absent-mindedly pull forward instead of backing out, thus putting themselves in a potential wrong-way situation? I hope not!

But never mind parking, I'm here to see a charming small-town library.

The first thing I saw in the lobby was a sign about a "Sock Animal Workshop" on September 26: Register Now! There is no end to the creative workshops offered by every library I visit.

In many ways the Slayton library feels like a home. Look at all the extra decorative touches here, including the magazine rack beside the wing chair and the fall-themed items on and around the fireplace.

Homey fall-themed touches surround the catalog computers, too.

The library is laid out in two long parallel spaces. Here, I'm in the children's area, looking out, to show you one of the many murals. The entrance to the children's area is just below the picture of the two girls. The curved top of the doorway and the painted stars give a feeling that you are entering (or leaving) a magical area.

The opposite wall has another mural, this one reflecting the agricultural character of the Slayton area.

The books in the bins are arranged topically, with signs identifying each group: Early Settlers, Fantasy, etc. A sticker on each book aids in keeping the bins organized.

This play table is ready for its next builders. The bin on the left holds Lincoln Logs, and one on the other end holds Tinker Toys! I was told that there are many bins of construction toys, including Lego, Duplo, trains, and others, and they are swapped in and out monthly, so kids coming to the library will find different building opportunities and challenges. What a great idea! I wa especially pleased to see the "retro" toys.

"Funds for the coffee cart (pretty fancy cart!) are provided by the Friends of the Slayton Public Library. You can help by becoming a member." I met one of the members, and if she is representative of the group, they must be a lively bunch, indeed.

There is a reading corner that I think is just to the left of the stacks shown here. I meant to get a picture; it includes shelves of classic books on the wall, and the start of the non-fiction stacks to the right. There is one more reading corner with periodicals and newspapers. I also spotted a shelf of Minnesota books, with some special categories, like Christmas, Native Americans, and high school yearbooks nearby.

A separate room serves as a computer lab; I think there are eight computers. And my notes are lacking some details, but I think that the fiction area is through that door at the back.

This easy chair is in the teen area, which I would never have found on my own. Why not? Well, there is a hint in the top left corner of this picture. [And that pillow would have been SO appropriate for me, as a teen and pre-teen.]

You have to pass through the computer lab and then through the beaded curtain. This picture is from the inside looking out.

This mural, quite unlike the ones in the children's area, was painted by a visiting artist from Scotland, I believe.

To wrap things up, a bulletin board covered with newspaper clippings poses the wonderful challenge, "In a World Where You Can Be Anything, Be Kind."

9/22/2018