The Minneapolis Public Library (MPL) was a

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

system that served the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. It was founded in 1885 with the establishment of the Minneapolis Library Board by an amendment to the Minneapolis City Charter. Lumber baron and philanthropist

T. B. Walker Thomas Barlow Walker (February 1, 1840 – July 28, 1928) was an American business magnate who acquired lumber in Minnesota and California and became an collection (artwork), art collector. Walker founded the Minneapolis Public Library. He was amon ...

and other city leaders such as

Thomas Lowry Thomas Lowry (February 27, 1843 – February 4, 1909) was an American lawyer, real-estate magnate, and businessman who oversaw much of the early growth of the streetcar lines in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding co ...

were members of the first library board. In 2008, after some financial difficulties, the library was merged into the

Hennepin County Library Hennepin County Library is a public library system serving Hennepin County, Minnesota, US. The current iteration of Hennepin County Library was formed by the merger of urban Minneapolis Public Library and suburban Hennepin County Library on Ja ...

system. At the time of its merger, the library included Central Library in downtown Minneapolis and fourteen branch libraries. Its collection numbered about 3.1 million items with about 2.2 million of these housed in the central library.

Central Library

Minneapolis Public Library-central-2006-05-20

The predecessor of Minneapolis's public library was a private library called the Minneapolis Athenæum. It was organized by Minneapolis businessmen in 1859 as a

subscription library A subscription library (also membership library or independent library) is a library that is financed by private funds either from membership fees or endowments. Unlike a public library, access is often restricted to members, but access rights c ...

,Minneapolis Athenaeum
and its shares were traded on the local stock market. After T. B. Walker moved to Minneapolis he bought shares in the Athenæum and gave away memberships to it, promoting the idea of a free public library for the city. Other stock holders raised objections, but the technique worked and soon the city financed a free library for the public with a one mill property tax. When the Minneapolis Public Library was established in 1885 the Athenæum became a partner of it and still exists as a separate nonprofit organization sharing space with the library. Three central libraries have been built in Minneapolis, each replacing the last with a bigger and more up-to-date building. The first opened in 1889, the second in 1961 and the third and current building in 2006. On November 7, 2000, Minneapolis voters approved a $140 million package to improve library services, including funding a new Central Library building. The building was designed by

Cesar Pelli Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ces ...

, along with the Minneapolis firm Architectural Alliance, It 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, on two floors in Marquette Plaza (formerly the

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

). 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 Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

found its home there, possessing a projector machine literally older than the

space age The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 during 1957, and continuing ...

itself (originally delivered and installed in 1954, three years before the launch of

Sputnik I Sputnik 1 (; see § Etymology) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for t ...

). In 2005, the

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenn ...

apportioned funding for a new planetarium, then planned to be on the roof of the new Central Library building. Instead, the planetarium is now planned to be part of a new

Bell Museum of Natural History The Bell Museum, formerly known as the James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History, is located at the University of Minnesota. The museum's new location on the St. Paul campus opened July 13–15, 2018. The world-renowned Minnesota wildlife dio ...

building, on the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

's Saint Paul campus.

Community libraries

The first two branches of the Minneapolis Public Library opened in 1890, one each on the north and south sides of Minneapolis. A branch in the basement of North High School opened on February 27, 1890, and one at 17th and Franklin Ave on April 23.Benidt, Bruce Weir, ''The Library Book, Centennial History of the Minneapolis Public Library'', 1984, p.53 By 2002 there were fourteen branches or community libraries. Each library had a staff member who was assigned to local schools to discuss the services available at the library. The 2002 referendum also included funds to renovate community libraries, supplementing an existing program. The community libraries and their renovation status are: *

East Lake Community Library East Lake Library is one of 41 branch libraries in the Hennepin County Library System, one of 15 branch libraries formerly in the Minneapolis Public Library System in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Three different buildings have housed t ...

, built 1976, renovated 2007 *

Franklin Community Library Franklin Library is a public library on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The library was one of thirteen branch libraries established under the leadership of Gratia Countryman, the chief librarian of the Minneapolis Publ ...

, built 1914, renovated 2005 *

Hosmer Community Library Hosmer Library, originally known as the Thirty-Sixth Street Branch Library, is a branch library of the Hennepin County Library system serving the Central neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was named the Hosmer Library in ho ...

, built 1916, renovated 1997 *

Linden Hills Community Library Linden Hills Library is a public library in the Linden Hills neighborhood of southwest Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The branch library originally opened in 1911 on the first floor of the Lake Harriet Commercial Club building. In 1931, ...

, built 1931, renovated 2002 *

Nokomis Community Library Nokomis Library, formerly Nokomis Community Library, is a branch library serving the Nokomis East area of Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of 41 libraries in the Hennepin County Library system, Nokomis was designed by Buetow and Associates, Inc and ...

, built 1968, renovated 2009–2011 *

North Regional Community Library North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

, built 1971, renovated 2007 * Northeast Community Library, built 1973, reopened after renovation in 2011 *

Pierre Bottineau Community Library Pierre Bottineau Library (formerly Pierre Bottineau Community Library) is a branch library located in northeast Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was named for Pierre Bottineau, a prominent Minnesota frontiersman and is one of 41 libraries ...

, built 2003 in the

Grain Belt Brewery Grain Belt is a brand of beer brewed in the American state of Minnesota, by the August Schell Brewing Company. The beer has been produced in a number of varieties. Grain Belt Golden was the original style introduced in 1893. The current offerings ...

complex to replace an older storefront library *

Roosevelt Community Library Roosevelt Library is one of 41 community libraries in the Hennepin County Library System, originally part of the Minneapolis Public Library System as it is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Early years Roosevelt Library was origin ...

, built 1927, renovated and expanded 2013 *

Southeast Community Library Arvonne Fraser Library (formerly the Southeast Library) is a public library in Minneapolis, serving the University community. Designed by Ralph Rapson and built in 1963, the library is an example of brutalist architecture. The building originall ...

, built 1963 *

Sumner Community Library Sumner Library is a neighborhood library located in the Near-north neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Originally part of the Minneapolis Public Library, it became part of the merged Hennepin County Library in 2008. The Car ...

, built 1915, renovated 2005 *

Walker Community Library Walker Library is a public library in the East Isles neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is on Hennepin Avenue one block north of Lake Street, adjoining the Midtown Greenway. Walker and the 14 other libraries of Minneapol ...

, first built in 1915 (original building now privately owned), a replacement was built in 1981, which was demolished and replaced by a building that opened in 2014 * Washburn Community Library, built 1970, expanded 1992, renovated 2014 *

Webber Park Community Library Webber Park Library is a public library in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Its primary service area is the Camden, Minneapolis community. The library was one of thirteen branch libraries established under the leadership of Gratia Countryman, ...

, built 1980, razed in 2013. Now in a new building on 4440 Humboldt Avenue that opened in May 2017

Historic buildings

Many of the buildings built by the Minneapolis Public Library system are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

. In some cases, the libraries have been demolished and moved to new, more modern buildings. *

, original building at 2916 East Lake Street (since moved to 2727 East Lake Street). The building now houses a liberal political products store. *

, current building at 1314 East Franklin Ave. * Linden Hills Branch Library, current building at 2900 W. 43rd St. * Minneapolis Public Library, North Branch, original building at 1834 Emerson Ave. N. The North branch was closed not long after the much larger North Regional Library opened at 1315 Lowry Ave. N. about a mile away. *

, current building at 4026 28th Ave. S. * Sumner Branch Library, current building at 611 Emerson Ave. N. *

Thirty-sixth Street Branch Library Hosmer Library, originally known as the Thirty-Sixth Street Branch Library, is a branch library of the Hennepin County Library system serving the Central neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was named the Hosmer Library in ...

, current building at 347 E. 36th. St., since renamed to Hosmer Community Library *

Walker Branch Library Walker Library is a public library in the East Isles neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is on Hennepin Avenue one block north of Lake Street, adjoining the Midtown Greenway. Walker and the 14 other libraries of Minneapo ...

, original building at 2901 Hennepin Ave. S. (since moved across the street to 2880 Hennepin Avenue) Some had suggested that the Walker library be moved back to its original building as it was vacant and the new underground facility has been dogged by maintenance issues; however the original library building is still privately owned. Of this list, all but the North Branch library were built under the leadership of the city's head librarian,

Gratia Countryman Gratia Alta Countryman (pronounced gray-sha) (November 26, 1866 – July 26, 1953) was a nationally-known librarian who led the Minneapolis Public Library from 1904 to 1936. She was the daughter of immigrant farmers Alta and Levi Countryman. She p ...

. Franklin, Sumner, and Thirty-Sixth Street were built with funds from

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in ...

Cataloging

Unusually for a public library, the Minneapolis Public Library used the

Library of Congress Classification The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress in the United States, which can be used for shelving books in a library. LCC is mainly used by large research and academic librar ...

. Prior to 1969 it used the Dewey Decimal System, although around 1890, the library switched to the early and short-lived

Putnam Classification System The Putnam Classification System is a library classification system developed by George Herbert Putnam. Putnam was the librarian at the Minneapolis Athenaeum in 1887. When that became the Minneapolis Public Library, Putnam wanted a way to democra ...

, developed by Minneapolis librarian

Herbert Putnam George Herbert Putnam (September 20, 1861 – August 14, 1955) was an American librarian. He was the eighth (and also the longest-serving) Librarian of Congress from 1899 to 1939. He implemented his vision of a universal collection with strengt ...

. He later became

Librarian of Congress The Librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, for a term of ten years. In addition to overseeing the library, the Libra ...

, and revised his Putnam system into the current

Library of Congress classification The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress in the United States, which can be used for shelving books in a library. LCC is mainly used by large research and academic librar ...

system.

Events: 2000–2008

2000 referendum

In 2000 Minneapolis voters approved a $140 million package to fund a new $110 million Central Library building, and spend $30 million on improvements to community libraries. The referendum began as a framework for discussion called ''Outlook Twenty Ten: A Discussion Plan to Improve All Minneapolis Community Libraries'', submitted to the Minneapolis Public Library Board in July 1999, and drafted in anticipation of voters approving the referendum. The framework was submitted to the board by Amy Ryan, Chief of Community Libraries. When the referendum was approved, the Library Board turned to the plan which contained a profile of each of the fourteen community libraries, including highlights of patron surveys. It also contained at least three suggestions for every community library, entitled Options 'A', 'B', 'C' and onward. An update on the plan came out in 2004.

''Adamson v. Minneapolis Public Library''

Adamson v. Minneapolis Public Library
' was a civil complaint of 23 March 2003 by a dozen librarians against the library's management for a claimed failure to prevent sexual harassment over many years by library patrons having unlimited use of library computers for accessing pornography. The case followed an

EEOC The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

determination on 23 May 2001 that "the Respondent did subject the Charging Party to sexually hostile work environment. This is in violation of Title VII of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration req ...

, as amended." The case settled when the library agreed to pay the plaintiffs $435,000 and to take corrective action to prevent further harassment.

Funding crisis and merger

Despite city funding and some private support, the library had suffered from reduced funding from external sources, including the federal government and Local Government Aid (LGA) from the State of Minnesota. In the recession of the 2000s following the

Dot-com bubble The dot-com bubble (dot-com boom, tech bubble, or the Internet bubble) was a stock market bubble in the late 1990s, a period of massive growth in the use and adoption of the Internet. Between 1995 and its peak in March 2000, the Nasdaq Comp ...

, hours were drastically cut and money for acquisitions sharply declined. Because Minnesota library card holders could borrow from other systems in the state, MPL also duplicated services offered by

(HCL), which saw shared use by MPL patrons. This was especially apparent on Mondays, when Minneapolis libraries were closed. In 2007, the Minneapolis Library Board agreed to pursue a merger with the county system. The Minneapolis Library Board and

Minneapolis City Council The Minneapolis City Council is the lawmaking body of Minneapolis. It consists of 13 members, elected from separate wards to four-year terms, via a ranked-choice method. The council structure has been in place since the 1950s. In recent elections ...

approved the merger in March 2007, the Hennepin County Board approved the merger in April 2007, and on May 19, 2007 the

Minnesota State Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenni ...

approved a bill merging the systems during 2008. The merged system is the Hennepin County Library with 41 locations. On January 1, 2008, the library was merged into the

. The last meeting of the Minneapolis Public Library Board of Trustees took place on December 19, 2007.

Directors

There were 11 full-time directors in the history of the MPL. *

, 1888–1891 *

James Kendall Hosmer James Kendall Hosmer (January 29, 1834 – May 11, 1927) Leonard & Marquis, 1899, p. 351 was an American (Union) soldier during the American Civil War, a pastor, library director, historian, author and a professor of history and literature. Mem ...

, 1892–1904 *

, 1904–1936 *Glenn M. Lewis (interim), 1936–1937 *

Carl Vitz Carl Peter Paul Vitz (June 3, 1883 – January 1, 1981) was an American librarian and author. He received a certificate from Western Reserve University Library School, a degree from Adelbert College and a bachelor's degree in library science from ...

, 1937–1945 *Glenn M. Lewis, 1946–1957 *Raymond E. Williams, 1957–1963 *Margaret M. Mull (interim), 1963–1964 *Ervin J. Gaines, 1964–1974 *Mary L. Dyer (interim), 1974–1975 *Joseph Kimbrough, 1975–1989 *Susan Goldberg Kent, 1990–1995 *Mary Lawson, 1996–2002 *Jan Feye-Stukas (interim), 2002–2003 *Katherine G. Hadley, 2003–2007 *Jane Eastwood (interim), 2007–2008

References

External links

Minneapolis Public Library
(Archive)
America's Most Literate CitiesPelli Clarke Pelli Architects web siteArchitectural Alliance web site
{{Authority control 1885 establishments in Minnesota 2008 disestablishments in Minnesota Hennepin County Library Libraries established in 1885