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Minneapolis Public Library

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The new Central Library, designed by César Pelli, completed in 2006

The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center (MPL) is a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860. The library today comprises a central facility downtown and fourteen branch libraries (only eleven are currently operative as of April 2007).[1] Each library also has a staff member who is assigned to local schools to discuss the services available at the library. According to the 2004 board report, the collection numbers about 3.1 million items with about 2.2 million of these housed in the central library. The Minneapolis Library will be merged with the Hennepin County Library in 2008. The merged system will be called the Hennepin County Library.

MPL, unusually for a public library, uses the Library of Congress Classification, though some older materials are cataloged with the Dewey Decimal System.

Central Library

After Minneapolis voters approved a $140 million package to improve library services on November 7, 2000, many renovation projects were begun. The new Central Library building, designed by Cesar Pelli, along with the Minneapolis architectural firm Architectural Alliance, [2] [3] opened to the public on May 20, 2006. At a cost of $250 per square foot, the library features a host of energy-efficient measures, including a roof garden and substantial daylight. While the building was under construction, most services were provided at the interim Central Library Marquette location, located on two floors in Marquette Plaza (formerly the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis). Cost of providing an interim site while the old library was demolished and rebuilt exceeded $10 million.

Until the 2002 closure and demolition of the old central library, the Minneapolis Planetarium found its home there, possessing a projector machine literally older than the space age itself (delivered and installed originally in 1954, three years before the launch of Sputnik I). in 2005, the Minnesota Legislature apportioned funding for the inclusion of a planetarium in the new Central Library building. As of May 2007, a 37,000 square foot Minnesota Planetarium is planned for the roof of the new building, to open in 2009.[4]

The atrium of the Central Library
Interior 2006
Periodical stacks at the Central Library

Community libraries

The 2002 referendum also included funds to renovate community libraries, supplementing an existing program. The fourteen branches and their renovation status are:

  • East Lake Community Library, built 1976, renovated 2007. [5]
  • Franklin Community Library, built 1914, renovated 2005. [6]
  • Hosmer Community Library, built 1916, renovated 1997. [7]
  • Linden Hills Community Library, built 1931, renovated 2002 [8]
  • Nokomis Community Library, built 1968. [9]
  • North Regional Community Library, built 1971, renovated 2007 [10]
  • Northeast Community Library, built 1973, scheduled to be closed for renovation 2008, reopening 2009. [11][12]
  • Pierre Bottineau Community Library, built 2003 in the Grain Belt Brewery complex to replace an older storefront library.[13]
  • Roosevelt Community Library, temporarily closed.[14]
  • Southeast Community Library, temporarily closed. [15]
  • Sumner Community Library, built 1915, renovated 2005. [16]
  • Walker Community Library, built 1981 to replace the 1915 building still located across the street. [17]
  • Washburn Community Library, built 1970 renovated 1992. [18]
  • Webber Park Community Library, temporarily closed. [19]

Improvements are in the works for Nokomis, Northeast, Roosevelt, Southeast, Walker, Washburn, and Webber Park Libraries. Some locations (such as Roosevelt and Nokomis) may be consolidated at one location, and "express" library services along major transportation routes are also a possibility. The framework for the future of the library is a document called Outlook 2010.[20]

The Central, Franklin, East Lake Regional, Roosevelt and Nokomis Libraries are easily accessed from the Hiawatha Line. All locations are either wheelchair-accessible or will be after renovation.

Funding crisis and merger

Despite city funding and generous taxpayer support, the library has suffered from reduced funding from external sources, including the federal government and the State of Minnesota. Hours have been drastically cut and money for acquisitions has sharply declined in the 2000's. Because Minnesota library card holders can borrow from other systems in the state, MPL also faces competition from the Hennepin County Library (HCL), which is remodeling its three regional locations in partnership with other government services. In 2007, the Minneapolis Library Board agreed to pursue a merger with the county system. The Minneapolis Library Board and Minneapolis City Council approved the merger in March 2007, the Hennepein County Board approved the merger in April 2007, and on May 19, 2007 the Minnesota State Legislature approved a bill merging the systems during 2008. The merged system will be the Hennepin County Library.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Hours for All Locations". 2/20/07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Reader friendly: New library is a beacon for books".
  3. ^ "A Tale of Two Cities".
  4. ^ http://www.mplanetarium.org/index.htm Minnesota Planetarium official site
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ^ [2]
  7. ^ [3]
  8. ^ [4]
  9. ^ [5]
  10. ^ [6]
  11. ^ [7]
  12. ^ RFP for renovation
  13. ^ [8]
  14. ^ [9]
  15. ^ [10]
  16. ^ [11]
  17. ^ [12]
  18. ^ [13]
  19. ^ [14]
  20. ^ Outlook 2010 master plan
  21. ^ "MPL/HCL Consolidation". 5/23/07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)



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