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Minneapolis Central Library

• Minneapolis Central: Basic Info
• Minneapolis Central: Fact Sheet
• Events at Minneapolis Central
• Minneapolis Central: Map, Directions, Buses
• Special Collections
• Reserve a Meeting Room
• Minneapolis Central: Floor Plans
• Tours of Minneapolis Central Library
• Class Visits to Minneapolis Central
• Parking at Minneapolis Central
• Bicycles at Minneapolis Central
• Best Buy Technology Center

About Minneapolis Central Library

See the Basic Info about Minneapolis Central Library page for answers to the most commonly asked questions about Minneapolis Central.

Minneapolis Central Library is conveniently located in downtown Minneapolis between Hennepin Avenue, the city's arts and theater district, and Nicollet Mall, the backbone of the city's business and shopping districts.

The new Minneapolis Central Library building was made possible when Minneapolis voters approved $110 million in bonds in the 2000 Library Referendum. The $110 million is supplemented with $15 million in private funding contributed by more than 200 individuals, foundations and businesses, and parking bonds that helped pay for parking ramp costs.

Designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli, the 353,000-square-foot building features an eye-catching canopy roof that projects over the Hennepin and Nicollet entrances; a combination of transparent and translucent glass with seasonal Minnesota imagery such as water, snow, trees and prairie grass; an 18,560-square-foot "green" roof planted with low-growing, sun- and drought-resistant ground cover; and 140,000 square feet of underground parking.

Minneapolis Central Library offers nearly 100 percent access to its collection, the center of the third largest per capita public library collection of any major city in America with a collection of more than 3 million items--including books, DVDs, music, government documents and more.

Minneapolis Central Library provides more computers with Internet access for free public use than anywhere in the state -- more than 300. The Best Buy Technology Center offers courses on using applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel and workshops about resume writing and conducting an online job search, among others. There is wireless Internet access throughout the building.

The Children's Library holds the Upper Midwest's largest public library collection of children's books, including materials in more than 30 languages. This space was designed to provide children from birth to 12 with room for exploration and fun, and to help parents, families, teachers and caregivers develop children's love of learning and reading.

Emma B. Howe Teen Central is one of the first spaces of its kind in the United States to be designed by and for teens. The library's new loft-like space overlooking Hennepin Avenue is created to welcome teens, engage their recreational and personal needs, provide after-school help from tutors and support their educational goals.

Twenty-five new meeting and study areas, including Pohlad Hall--a state-of-the-art auditorium--allow for dynamic programming and a variety of group gatherings in segmented spaces that encourage community members to connect with each other.

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