Community Spotlight: Central Library
The Central Library in Minneapolis is an architectural gem, and a community anchor. Today we’re taking a look at the flagship for the mighty Hennepin County Library system.
DESIGN
The Minneapolis Central Library is over 350,000 square feet, and occupies an entire city block. It was designed by Cesar Pelli, the architect behind such other notable buildings as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, and the National Museum of Art in Osaka. Completed in 2006, the building is designed to allow for great access of the collections and dynamic spaces for community engagement. In 2009 the Central Library was honored with the Library Building Award, an award from American Institute of Architects/American Library Association to celebrate the finest examples of library design by architects licensed in the United States.
The Commons is a six-story glass atrium that links the different functions of the library, from the stacks to offices to reading rooms to special collections. The library was designed with no interior load-bearing walls, so that the building can accomodate future needs for use of space. The Central Library hosts over 1.3 million items, or over 1/3 of the collection of the Hennepin County Library, which itself is one of the largest library systems in the country. The Central Library welcomes approximately one million visitors per year.
Special Collections
A robust permanent art collection, including a mobil by Alexander Calder and art reflecting Minneapolis’ past and present.
Anna M. Heilmaier Piano Room, where patrons can reserve time to play a grand piano.
Extensive Children’s Special Collections includes the folklore collection, pop-up and novelty books, and all nominated and winning children’s books from the Minnesota Book Award.
The Cargill Gallery which promotes the work local artists in free, public exhibitions.
The Vinyl Revival Listing Room allows the public to sample from the library’s collection of over 15,000 albums.
The Patent and Trademark Resource Center is only in the state of Minnesota, and provides access and assistance for people navigating the patent and trademark process.
Events and programing
Talk of the Stacks is a free author lecture series about some of the most pressing issues of our times.
Central Craft Club is a reoccurring meeting encouraging crafting and creating for all skill levels.
zAmya Creative Expression Sessions are for anyone looking to learn or hone performance skills and to tell their story.