83. Hennepin County, Nokomis

This branch is rightfully proud of the environmentally sustainable features incorporated in its renovation, documented on the poster inside the door. DVD reserves are clustered at the beginning of the regular reserve shelves, where they are visible from the service desk. In addition to the security advantage, it would be easier to shelve "like with like."

The teen section has lots of windows overlooking a fairly busy corner. Nice curved bench with round tables looks very inviting.

There's a handsome fireplace made with local stone (a sustainability feature). The meeting room looked especially flexible; it has a window wall to outside and a folding wall of windows separating it from the kids' area. It was being used for an adult meeting when I was there. I could see it being used, either open or closed, for children's programing, as well.

Someone has put a lot of work into a corrugated cardboard "castle," and I like the language prompts on the window by the castle, with questions like, "If you had a castle, how big would it be?" There was also a trunk of dress-up clothes. The wooden chairs in the kids' area are the cutest I've seen, with their animal-shaped backs. The interactive toys are cool. The magnetic letters are pretty standard, but the "Early literature" sign that explains their importance, and the "Look, I can spell my name!" sign are neat. Bookawocky Read, Write, Draw papers filled a thick 3-ring binder.

8/10/12, bus, light rail, and walk