315. Hibbing Public Library, Hibbing, MN



 First thing: "Please wipe your feet...the Minnesota shuffle." So I shuffled, although the ground was dry! I always try to do what librarians ask.

 

OK, the children's area is to the right. It's brightened by four floor-to-ceiling windows and large colorful banners on the walls. There are five kid-sized study tables with a total of 22 chairs. There are plenty of juvenile audio books, what seems to be a lot of juvenile non-fiction, and (wonderful idea) a special shelf for "Superhero Reads." Easy readers and picture books are shelved together, with different colored dots for first grade, levels 1 and 2, and second grade, ditto. "Reading Counts Books" are also identified with stickers on the spine and I also saw what I believe are AR indicators on book spines.

 

Restrooms for Boys and Girls are located behind the children's librarian's desk, with signs indicating that all adults should use the restrooms on the lower level. Good for the safety of kids, but I trust parents and caregivers are allowed in!

 

There is a gigantic papier mache whale with an impressive spout on top of one of the shelves, and a "Reading Lines" train displayed high on one wall; I asked about taking pictures of these, but the person who could grant permission was not available and I was unable to wait. Maybe next time. This is the first time I recall that I was not allowed to take interior pictures (so long as no people appeared).

 

The adult side of the library has a similarly large, well-windowed space. Fiction, media, and large print books are on the main level, non-fiction stacks are on a mezzanine level. Signs on the ends of some shelves in the stacks ask patrons to "...not shelve books. Put them on the red shelves." The red shelves were scattered throughout the stacks. This seems like a good way to deal with the reshelving issue. The red shelves are more obvious than the ones labeled "Put unwanted materials here" at the library where I work; at the same time, they do not take up extra floor space as carts for unwanted books do.

 

One wall on the first floor holds paperback fiction; these shelves have 2x6 boards to keep books from slipping back and getting lost on the normal deep shelves. Along the window wall are upholstered chairs and various tables. I especially liked some interesting bentwood tables in this area. (Sorry, no picture.)

 

The Teen / YA Zone is at the far end of the adult area. Something new to me was a display of "Reads for Teens" leaflets with booklists on many different topics. Nice.

 

I chuckled to see an unabridged dictionary sharing a table with a large box of crayons--just a momentary juxtaposition, perhaps.

 

There was a Bob Dylan collection on the lower level, but when I learned that it would have to be unlocked, I decided to skip it. [I know one reader of the blog who will probably consider that inexcusable!] At any rate, I had one more library to visit before a three-hour drive home, and I was starting to get a bit frayed around the edges, I'm afraid.

 

For more about this library (and the city), go to http://www.hibbing.mn.us/index.asp?SEC={4C158728-884C-42F1-A81C-C44EAC59740A}, and visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HibbingLibrary?fref=ts.

 

This picture does not do the library justice, I'm afraid!