99. Hennepin County, Golden Valley

The first thing I noticed was that the flag was at half staff, and I meant to ask why. But the interior is so intriguing, I got distracted and forgot. Directly ahead in the lobby is a kinetic sculpture that, at the push of a button, sends balls rising through lifts and rolling down elaborate ramps. Very cool, and I learned that it was a gift of the Friends of the Library. It's like a 3D version of the Marble Drop game I used to have on my computer.

From the lobby you can go 45 degrees left or right, and the space seems to unfold. To the left, the space is labeled "Adult Fiction," but there must have been some changes since the permanent sign was installed. The main space includes both adult and J fiction, and a space to the left, a good-sized room, is for the preschool crowd. A row of kids' computers defines one wall of this room. A very neat feature was a set of four quarter-round tables, each with a "bump" on one end and an "indent" on the other end, allowing them to be set together in a circle, like a jigsaw puzzle.

In a small reading area by a window in the fiction area, a table was dedicated to natural materials (seeds, shells, pieces of wood) and a magnifying lens. Either this had very heavy use during the day before I arrived, or I might suggest that it needs more frequent tidying up keep it looking nice and interesting.

Back in the lobby, a right turn goes first to an adult reading area with periodicals. Patrons are asked to "Please assist library staff by reshelving magazines." This space seems more open and lighter than the fiction and J area. The reference desk is here, and there are several rooms/alcoves with public computers. A second room or space beyond this includes J and A non-fiction and finally a teen area on the left, divided by a bookshelf from an adult area for reading newspapers. I wonder how the proximity of teens and paper-readers works out?

Special thanks to the staff person who consulted her colleagues in order to determine which side of the street I should stand on to catch my next bus. They were right!

8/21/12, bus