363. Gibbon Public Library, Gibbon, MN

The Gibbon library holds some interesting surprises inside a basic exterior.  My first surprise was in the lobby, where I spotted a box of free magazines and books. "Wonderful," I thought. "I'll get those magazines I have in the car, just waiting for such an opportunity." Ah, but no...this box is only for library discards--it's not a "share your periodicals after you read them" opportunity after all. That's a new one for me.




To the right is a computer lab, a glassed-in room with 11 computers. This is a larger collection of computers than I've seen in most small libraries, and having them in a separate room is also a bit unusual. It's very helpful, however, if you want to keep the sounds of a children's program from bothering computer users, or the sounds of a computer class bothering readers.

Inside the library I spotted a glass cabinet with books displayed with a very clever collections of related "real stuff." This was a preview of a series of displays on top of shelves against the wall, small arrangements of books and objects, done by someone with an artistic eye.

 

 

Speaking of an artistic eye, I've never seen a more handsome display marking the media area of a library! Don't miss the antique projector on top of the shelves to the left. There is a big table with chairs nearby, handy for browsing the periodical collection.

 

If you're looking for a comfortable place to read, settle into one of these couches, surrounded by the adult collection.

 

The kids area has all the types of books you would expect, with a long conference table and a collection of chairs. A group of obviously hand-painted metal bookends made me wonder whether this was a children's craft project, left here to dry. Perhaps someone from Gibbon will leave a comment and clarify this.  Please? It struck me as a really good way to use/recycle an excess of metal bookends! Adults might enjoy doing this, too.

 

Near the picture books is a large rug that looks like a pond, and there is a 1/2-scale red British-style phone booth.

 

I liked the big CIRCULATION sign above the service desk; sorry, I didn't get a picture.

 

The general library website is at http://www.cityofgibbon.com/index.asp?SEC=CCD3083F-FB9F-4DB7-BF4F-980956980907&Type=B_BASIC. For more information, check out the Facebook site,

https://www.facebook.com/GibbonPublicLibrary

8/26/2015