61b Hennepin County, Edina, after renovation

This was my third visit to this location. The first visit, in 2012, was very fast, dictated by a bus schedule. The second, in 2013, was more or less to "make up for" that first visit. It was marked by the library being in the midst of the Minneapolis/Hennepin County blending, which involved changing Hennepin County library materials from the Dewey Decimal  classification system to Library of Congress--a major undertaking. This time, I came out here because I knew the library had recently reopened after renovations.

My first impression is hard to put my finger on, but it seemed that the parking lot was easier to navigate than it was on my second visit. Or perhaps it was just that I was using gps. But something was different and easier.

I was intrigued to see two book returns beside each other. The nearer one leads to the automated materials handling conveyor. But what do you do if you show up when the library is closed--and the AMH isn't working? In most cases (in my experience), you find a free-standing box of some sort. Here, it's simpler...you just use the adjacent return slot. Neat solution.

As usual, I got permission to take interior pictures, then started to wander around. I headed clockwise from the information desk and came to the newspapers, neatly displayed in heavy plastic holders, very neat and attractive. I'm seeing these more frequently for  newspapers and periodicals. [I still have a warm spot for newspapers on sticks, but I admit these are more attractive and convenient! And modern.]

The non-fiction stacks are behind the newspapers, and along the wall there are four small meeting or study rooms, named Maud Hart Lovelace, Carol Bly, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sinclair Lewis.

After the study rooms there is a casual seating area, followed by a conference room in the far corner.

Finally, at the end of the building we come to the Friends Reading Room with this handsome fireplace. I like how it's designed with display space for books.

That was a trip down the left side of the building. The right side holds the fiction stacks and a row of tables along the window wall. Most of the tables were in use, so no picture. Continuing along that wall we come to the teen area, with two computers, a tall counter for laptop use and varied seating. This area was occupied by one adult and two teens; it was a challenge to find an un-peopled angle for a picture!

The "core" between non-fiction and fiction, and the teen area, has a cluster of twelve computers for public use. Each table holds six computers (three and three, back to back) and is separated from patron traffic at each end by the wooden features you see below, in one case a bench, the other a book display.

Copying and printing equipment are in a semi-enclosed "bull pen" set off by shelving for media.

The final feature along the right-hand wall is the children's area, across from the service desks. This area includes the "Grandview Campground" kiosk for creative play, shown below, plus all of the books and materials you expect to see in a children's library.

This built-in seating forms a nearly complete semi-circle and provides a nice display place for books and art. A family restroom is nearby in a very convenient location.

When I arrived, a small boy (kindergartner, perhaps?) was playing with the wonderful interactive piece below. What a great way to provide interaction without using floor space! The background is metal, and the round gray pieces are magnetic and sort of rubbery; they provide enough friction to hold the clear plastic tubes in place. They can be arranged to hold the tubes in any position and angle to create a ball-run game. Later, no kids were near, and I took several minutes to try it out. It's fun...and challenging!

Little touches mean a lot, like these words above the indoor book return.

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On my way back to the car I took this picture of the window wall outside the study rooms, just because I like how it looks.

10/22/2017, car, on my way to the Landscape Arboretum