229. Truman Branch Library, Martin County Library System, Minnesota

Just inside the door of this small library is the children's area. There is an IBM "Little Tykes" computer here, and the wall is brightened by castle and princess cutouts. I like the curved-front bookcases in a nice bright green.

There are two public computers, and a sign asks that you use hand sanitizer before and after using them.

A sign I enjoyed says "Please ask if you have any fines to pay!! Sometimes I forget to mention it! This also helps the library system with our costs! Thank you!!"

The children's area is labeled the Junior area. There is a good collection of books, plus games. "Please put games away nicely if you get them out." It was impressive that even such a small space has clearly separate areas for "juniors" and tiny tots.

I may have missed these in other libraries, but this is the first place I recall seeing a collection of local high school yearbooks. The librarian told me that they are very popular, especially with people who come back to town for visits.

The librarian explained that the Truman Library is part of the Traverse de Sioux region, and gets a rotating selection of books each month to keep the collection fresh. And speaking of fresh, when she came to Truman she wanted to spruce the place up. So she painted the walls, added the above-mentioned castle and princess decorations, and (she didn't say, but I'm willing to bet) added the large labels for the Young Adult, Non Fiction, Audio, and Junior areas. The results are very effective.

For more about the Martin County Library System, which is part of the Traverse de Sioux region (the library doesn't seem to have its own web page), go to http://www.martincountylibrarysystem.org/.

4/1/2014, car

The Truman Library is next door to the fire station,

so it is well protected by a firefighter and an EMT.