A Warm Welcome in Minnesota (PLA)

It’s going to be a whirlwind four days at PLA, but my first stop had to be the Minneapolis Central Library. I wandered around gawking at the immensity of the place in typical tourist style. Since 7,000 librarians are descending upon the city, the library wisely decided to showcase an Altered Books Exhibit. It may be a bit chilly in Minnesota in March, but I received a warm welcome from everyone I spoke with at the library. The Archival Librarian gave me a bit of the history behind the public library. The entrance to her department is the original wooden doors of the first official public library in Minneapolis. Very grand. The Children’s area (see above) is bright, colorful, and chocked full of fun and interesting things to do. According to the Children’s Librarian, they want children to discover something different each time they visit. From what I hear, the library's fifth floor is designed to accommodate a new Planetarium & Space Discovery Center. It is scheduled to open in 2010.