Libraries hold a place near and dear to my heart.  As a child in North Dakota, we lived 45 miles from our county library in Grand Forks, yet a stop at the library was a part of every trip to the city, to return our books and get new ones, and if time allowed, to browse the records or magazines or sit and read in the big egg chairs.

In college, I studied to be a librarian, then got my master’s degree as well.  I worked as a school librarian, called a “media specialist” in some circles, until my first child was born.

My library love did not stop there.  From taking wiggly toddlers to story time to hunting for lost books behind sofas and beds, we used our local libraries, and we used them well.

Even as a travel destination.

Sometimes I would plan a day trip that didn’t really need a whole day’s time.  If we had an extra hour, we’d stop at a library along the way and investigate its offerings, sliding inside to see if it had puzzles or train tables for the kids, fish tanks to watch for a few minutes, cozy spots to curl up with a book.  Because of Minnesota’s excellent reciprocal borrowing program, my card is registered in four or five regional library systems, where we’ve borrowed everything from books to museum passes.  We’ve explored the St. Paul Central Library while getting lost in the skyway system, read in the cool air of the Burnsville library when early for an appointment, and stopped to use a computer in Eden Prairie.  In Mankato, we explored Betsy-Tacy land and we went to a Dennis Warner concert in Morgan.  I’ve lugged bags of books out of the St. James library and carried a screaming baby out of St. Peter‘s library with my other young ones in tow.  A stop at new library for our family is a new adventure, where we never know what we’ll find.

It was with great delight, then, that I received a review copy of the Minnesota Historical Society Press’ new book Libraries of Minnesota.  It’s a browsing book, to be sure; my kids picked it up and instantly wanted to see if any of our county’s libraries were included.  (Two of them are indeed pictured.)  Doug Ohman’s photographs depict libraries old and new, urban and rural, quiet and busy.  In addition, Minnesota authors like Will Weaver and Nancy Carlson tell of their experiences in libraries big and small, here and there.

Libraries of Minnesota is a beautiful tribute to the libraries of our state.  Look for it soon at a library near you.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll take it as somewhat of a challenge.  You see, of all the libraries pictured in this book, I’ve only been inside nine of them.  It’s time to pack up the kids and explore a few more.

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