111. Great River Regional, Big Lake

This was a real two-fer: A train ride AND a library. On Saturdays, the NorthStar train and Big Lake's library hours combine to make a visit possible. I recommend the train ride, just for fun, but I'm glad there was no Twins or Vikings game today.

The library is in the noble tradition of store-front libraries, though larger than most of that ilk. The first thing I spotted was a display of "challenged books" decorated with yellow CAUTION tape. Nice job.

The kids' area seemed quite extensive in proportion to the entire space, and the emphasis on kids was also evident in the "Blue Ribbon Readers" essays displayed, and the "One Thousand Books Before Kindergarten" program, Sadly, I missed the culmination of the latter program by one day. It would have been fun to see.

There a study room, a large meeting room, tall tables with tall chairs, plenty of seating of various types, and a light, airy atmosphere although windows are limited in this space. I spotted six public computers and a couple for the library catalog. There must be an active Friends organization, because a silent auction was in progress on a large table near the entrance. All of the auction items I saw were bags of themed books.

Art includes a beautiful quilt on the wall, made by the Friends, and a miniature sculpture of the Swans public art displayed at the train station, a sculpture by a local artist.

Perhaps my favorite moment in the library, in addition to chatting with the branch assistant, Jenni, was listening to a child giving a tour of the children's area to a younger child: "And these are harder books, for bigger kids like me."

9/1/2012, bus, train, walk

103. Hennepin County, St. Anthony branch

This is a store-front branch, and like the others I've seen, it's making excellent use of limited space. Teens have a small space immediately to the right inside the door, with one computer and places for laptop use. To the left are the copy machine and printer, the adult collection, computers, and periodicals. Both of these spaces have large windows.

The kids' area is small but seems to have a bit of everything. I really like the low padded chairs with duck feet! Two computers are reserved for "12 and under." A meeting room has a row of glass doors that can be opened to increase the space available for programs.

The staff person I spoke to was able to directly me exactly to where my next bus would arrive. I have had occasion to wish that more library staff were more knowlegable about public transportation in their area.

8/22/12

53. Scott County, Jordan

A tiny storefront on a struggling mainstreet. Decent collection. Attractive space with natural light from good-sized windows. Had a power outage while I was there, apparently one of several on the same day.

7/11/12, car

45. Carver County, Watertown

The first thing I spotted was a "living room" to the right of the entrance, with a fuzzy cat (stuffed animal) on the windowsill. Very inviting. Bright triangular banners designated specific areas, like "Audio Books" and "Videos." There was a neat wooden mosaic of an electric train on one wall; I should have asked about it, but didn't. The kids' area had chairs with animal shapes and an IKEA "nature" rug just like mine on the floor. As I left, I realized that there is a second "living room" on the other side of the entrace, this one at least partly for teens.

7/18/12, car

43. Hennepin, Long Lake

I like these little storefront branches; they always seem to pack so much into a small space. They also show that creative staff can be more important than having a lot of room. I liked the dollhouse in the kids' area, of course. And putting the board books in a real, small, bookcase was a nice touch; it could suggest to the littlest kids that even their books are "real."

Talked to a friendly staff person who should find out what the project was that won the award back in 1999/2000, even though that was before his time!

7/18/12, car

30. Anoka County, North Central branch, Ham Lake

Be careful which door you enter, or you'll find yourself in a dentist's waiting room! Quite large inside. Noticed here that J and adult non-fiction is shelved together; this may be the case throughout Anoka. I can see advantages, and perhaps some problems. The front windows provide lots of light to the children's area. If you look closely, you can see me taking the picture.

7/7/2012, car

5. Washington County, Lakeland Library

This was my first experience with a storefront library. It looked like a very nice collection in a small space. Every bit of space was used well.

I think an antique shop and a deli are delightful companions for a library!

6/23/2012, car