243. Swanville, MN -- Great River Regional Library

One mark of a small town is a collection of kids' bicycles on the sidewalk in front of the library. First, they are not locked...this is a small town. Second, they are evidence of kids inside, in this case three boys clustered around an Internet computer.

The lobby of the Swanville library (which shares a building with other town offices) has a nicely-executed mural/map of the town painted on the wall.

After seeing two-tiered picture book bins for the first time in Albany, MN, a few hours earlier, I was surprised to see them again here. Here, the top bins held books, the lower bins held book-and-media sets. Many series books are shelved in upright stacks facing front, so the cover of the top book is visible. This is an interesting approach, making it instantly clear what series you are looking at and capturing the eye with the cover. I think it may also save shelf space.

There seemed to be a lot of westerns for the size of the library; they must be very popular here. And the non-fiction DVDs caught my eye; the non-fiction collection seemed large relative to the overall collection of DVDs. Perhaps I missed some?

I liked the two easy chairs by the sunny window, but didn't take a picture because the chairs were occupied.

For more about this library, go to http://www.griver.org/locations-and-hours/great-river-regional-library-swanville. I bet the Pint Sized Polkas program coming up on July 3 will be a hoot!

6/4/2014