Brooklyn Park Library

Last updated
Brooklyn Park Library
Brooklyn Park Library 2018.jpg
Brooklyn Park Library
General information
Address8500 W. Broadway Avenue
Town or city Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
Coordinates 45°6′37″N93°22′34″W / 45.11028°N 93.37611°W / 45.11028; -93.37611 Coordinates: 45°6′37″N93°22′34″W / 45.11028°N 93.37611°W / 45.11028; -93.37611
Opened2016
The original Brooklyn Park Library, built 1976 BP 330x137.jpg
The original Brooklyn Park Library, built 1976
Brooklyn Park Library interior, 1976 Brooklyn Park Library.jpg
Brooklyn Park Library interior, 1976
Brooklyn Park Library interior, 1976 BP-1976-2.jpg
Brooklyn Park Library interior, 1976
Brooklyn Park Library interior, 1976 BP-1976-3.jpg
Brooklyn Park Library interior, 1976

Brooklyn Park Library is a branch of Hennepin County Library serving Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States. The current facility opened in June 2016, replacing an earlier library building at 8600 Zane Avenue North that opened in 1976. Prior to that the area was served by Hennepin County Library's bookmobile.

Contents

History

The previous Brooklyn Park Library was designed by Setter, Leach and Lindstrom. Built at a cost of $814,651, the library was 15,100 square feet (1,400 m2) [1] and was renovated in 1999.

In November 2013, Hennepin County Board approved construction plans for a new library in Brooklyn Park at the northeast intersection of 85th Avenue and West Broadway. [2] The new building, set to open in 2016, will more than double the size of the current space to better meet the growing community’s needs. Feedback from the public regarding their vision of the new library was received through a survey [3] and a series of community meetings. [4] Costs are budgeted at $23.5 million. [5] Designed by Hammel Green and Abrahamson Architects & Engineers, and measuring 39,000 square feet, the new building will include a children’s interactive zone, a tech studio and several reading lounges. [6] The children’s area has been designed in collaboration with Minnesota Children’s Museum and will invite families to linger and enjoy reading, learning and playing at the library. [7] Patrons will be able to experience the library as living room for the community: it will include an open floor plan to facilitate interactions among patrons. [8] The new library incorporates the State of Minnesota’s Sustainable Building Guidelines.

Community

A reflection of the growing population and cultural plurality of Brooklyn Park and adjacent cities, three themes will anchor the new library: STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math); world culture; and geography. [9] A look at the primary home language for residents in Brooklyn Park reflects the growth and change in the city: 24% speak a language other than English. A total of 42 different languages are spoken in 11 elementary schools in the city, including Spanish, Hmong, Vietnamese, Creolized English, Lao and a combination of other Liberian languages. [10] Currently, the library’s holdings include materials in Hmong, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Art at the library

Bruce E. Nygren, a Minneapolis-based painter, created a mural in children's area at the Zane Avenue location. It depicted a reflecting pool made up of familiar objects in playful juxtaposition. Included were an elephant standing atop a stack of books, a penguin riding a car, pears larger than trucks, and a monkey sitting in the middle. Installed in 2004, it was 25 feet (7.6 m) long and invited patrons reflect on Nygren's use of the horizon line. [11]

The Hennepin County Library system commissioned two public art pieces for the Brooklyn Park Library's new building. One project was a bike rack sculpture created by Greg Mueller of Mueller Studio. [12] The other piece was a lenticular mural titled Sectio Aurea, which was designed by Norman Lee and Shane Allbritton of RE:site Studio, printed by PolyVision, and installed by Metalab. [12] [13]

Programming at the library

Homework tutors are available several days a week in the afternoons. A meeting room is also available for patrons' use. Family and Baby Storytimes, Teen Tech Workshops, Adult Homework Help, Learn Together events for K-3 students, and Senior Surf Day are examples of popular programs. Friends of the Brooklyn Park Library actively support the library through book sales, volunteering, and fundraising, in addition to being the voice of the library in the community. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hennepin County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Hennepin County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. The county extends from Minneapolis to the suburbs and outlying cities in the western part of the county. The county’s natural areas are covered with extensive woods, hills, and lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minneapolis Public Library</span> Library

The Minneapolis Public Library (MPL) was a library system that served the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. 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 and other city leaders such as Thomas Lowry were members of the first library board. In 2008, after some financial difficulties, the library was merged into the Hennepin County Library 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hennepin County Medical Center</span> Hospital in Minnesota, United States

Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) is a Level I adult and pediatric trauma center and safety net hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the county seat of Hennepin County. The primary 484-bed facility is on six city blocks across the street from U.S. Bank Stadium, with neighborhood clinics in the Minneapolis Whittier and East Lake neighborhoods, and the suburban communities of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Golden Valley, St. Anthony and Richfield. A new clinic in the North Loop neighborhood downtown opened in 2017. HCMC has recognized trauma surgery specialists, transplant services, stroke specialists, advanced endoscopy/hepatobilliary center, and hyperbaric oxygen chamber. A new outpatient clinic building opened in 2018. In March 2018, the provider that operates HCMC was rebranded as Hennepin Healthcare. However, the hospital retained the name HCMC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hennepin County Library</span>

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 January 1, 2008. The system has 41 library locations, deposit collections at nursing homes and correctional facilities, mail service to the homebound, and extensive outreach services. The library is a department of Hennepin County Government. The library headquarters are in the Ridgedale Library in suburban Minnetonka. The library system has an eleven-member advisory Library Board appointed by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners. It is a member of the Metropolitan Library Service Agency, a consortium of eight Twin Cities library systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokomis Library</span> Public library in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

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 opened in 1968 as a replacement for the nearby Longfellow Community Library. After being deemed crowded and outdated in 1999, the library underwent a renovation beginning in 2009 that saw it gain a number of environmentally friendly features and an expansion of 4,300 square feet (399 m2). The building reopened in 2011 and includes a restored Wind and Water Chime, a stabile that was part of the original library and that was refurbished and reinstalled by July 2013. The library contains over 35 computers, a public meeting room, and a Spanish-language collection of materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumner Library</span> United States historic place

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 Carnegie Library was a haven for Jewish immigrants to the city in the early 20th century. The Minneapolis Public Library moved its entire collection of Yiddish and Hebrew works to the branch library in response to a survey showing that 95% of the patrons were Jewish immigrants, some of whom learned English there and participated in social clubs in the building. The Tudor Revival building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linden Hills Library</span> United States historic place

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, under the leadership of Minneapolis Public Library's chief librarian Gratia Countryman, the library moved into its own building on 2900 West 43rd Street. Area resident Joseph Victor Vanderbilt designed the library in the Tudor Revival style. Head librarian Edith Frost served for over thirty years. The library has also hosted community groups such as children's clubs, neighborhood groups, and women's organizations. The library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 and renovated in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Opat</span> American politician

Michael Joseph Opat is an American politician from the U.S. state of Minnesota. He serves on the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, the governing body for the largest county in Minnesota, with more than 1.25 million residents and an annual budget of $2.4 billion. Opat represents District 1, an area that includes more than 170,000 residents and encompasses six suburban cities: Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, New Hope, Osseo, and Robbinsdale. In his time on the County Board, Opat has led, among other initiatives, policy and governance changes at Hennepin County Medical Center, numerous advancements in public infrastructure including the revitalization of the Humboldt Greenway, reconstruction of Highway 100 in the northern suburbs, construction of the new Brookdale library, the construction of Target Field and expansion of the Twin Cities area transit network, including the planned Bottineau Light Rail line along County Road 81 through the northern part of the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Bottineau Library</span> Branch library in Minneapolis, MN

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Library</span> Building in Minneapolis, MN

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Washburn Library, formerly Washburn Community Library, is a public library in the Hennepin County Library system. Opened in September 1970, Washburn Library, located at 5244 Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis, began with a footprint of 14,451 square feet (1,342.5 m2) and approximately 18,000 books. Designed by Brooks Cavin, an architect who studied under Walter Gropius and Eero Saarinen, Washburn reflected mid-century modernism. Set near Minnehaha Creek, Washburn meets the needs of Southwest Minneapolis in a picturesque neighborhood.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookdale Library</span> Building in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

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References

  1. Hennepin County Library, “Brooklyn Park Library Schematic Design Approved,” 11/ 20/ 2013, http://www.hclib.org/about/news/brooklyn-park-library-building-project/schematic-design-approved Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Hennepin County Library, “Brooklyn Park Library Schematic Design Approved,” November 20, 2013, http://www.hclib.org/about/news/brooklyn-park-library-building-project/schematic-design-approved Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
  3. “County Seeks Feedback for new Brooklyn Park Library,” Sun Post, 7/25/2014, http://post.mnsun.com/2014/07/county-seeks-feedback-for-new-brooklyn-park-library/
  4. Baca, Maria Elena, “Wanted: Brooklyn Park Residents to Shape a Library,” Star Tribune, 1/11/2011, "Wanted: Brooklyn Park residents to shape a library | StarTribune.com". Star Tribune . Archived from the original on 2011-02-20. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
  5. Schlosser, Gretchen, “Groundbreaking for Brooklyn Park Library April 29,” Sun Post, 4/22/2015, http://post.mnsun.com/2015/04/groundbreaking-for-brooklyn-park-library-april-29
  6. Hennepin County Library, “New Brooklyn Park Library Groundbreaking April 29,” 4/8/2015, http://www.hclib.org/about/news/brooklyn-park-library-building-project/groundbreaking Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Schlosser, Gretchen, “Groundbreaking for Brooklyn Park Library April 29,” Sun Post, 4/22/2015, http://post.mnsun.com/2015/04/groundbreaking-for-brooklyn-park-library-april-29/
  8. Zamora, Karen, “New Library in Brooklyn Park Closer to Reality,” Star Tribune, 1/13/2015, http://www.startribune.com/local/west/288434521.html
  9. HGA, “Hennepin County Library-Brookdale,” http://hga.com/work/hennepin-county-library-brookdale Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Hennepin County Library, “Brooklyn Park Library Community Advisory Committee,” p. 19, 1/13/2011, http://www.hclib.org/about/building-projects/current-projects-container/current-projects/brooklyn-park-library/~/media/F0EDE51E8DCD4098BA9D67776CDEEB21.ashx Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Nygren, Bruce Resume, http://housescanfly.com/BruceNygrenResume.pdf
  12. 1 2 "Brooklyn Park Library Fact Sheet" (PDF). HGA. HGA Architects and Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  13. "Hennepin County Library". PolyVision. PolyVision. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  14. Friends of the Hennepin County Library, “Brooklyn Park Library,” http://www.supporthclib.org/group/brooklyn-park-library/