119. Great River, Sauk Centre

I've recently read Main Street Public Libraries from the U of Iowa Press. This is one of the four libraries featured in that book. The original part of the building is a Carnegie library, and an addition has been put on in a wrap-around way that allows part of the original brick wall to form an inside wall; if that doesn't make sense--well, you'll just have to drive up and take a look.

The library is up a short set of stairs, and a history center is down; there is an elevator.

The first feature I noticed was a "living room" with chairs, couches, tables, and a couple of large plants, a wonderful place to sit and read. The adults also have some study tables and chairs that look classic. One sign I like: "Enjoy your time with the newspapers. Please return them to the shelf in proper order for the next person to enjoy." Another, less fortunate, sign reminds patrons that a misdemeanor can get you jail time or a fine, and that damage to property will be reported to the police. I regret the facts that I'm sure lead to signs like this, but I support the idea of being public with the problem. I've seen similar signs elsewhere in my library visits.

The J non-fiction shelves have markers sticking out, indicating the locating of popular topics like Space and Dinosaurs, making those books easy to find. (Adult non-fiction have similar signs.) I spotted some 4-H binders (Beef, Swine), something I haven't seen at any other library. There are many book/cassette and book/CD sets available. The younger kids have Lego Duplo, small beanbag chairs, and puzzles.

The YA alcove has a couple of upholstered chairs and a decent collection of books. There are a number of public computers. And of course, this being a Carnegie library, there is a fireplace, this one faced with green glazed bricks. When I talked to staff, I was very pleasantly surprised that one person knew of this blog and had already seen parts of it!

10/19/2012, car