St. Anthony Park Branch Library
Encyclopedia
The St. Anthony Park Branch Library is a branch of the St. Paul Public Library
. A Carnegie library
built in 1917, it is on the National Register of Historic Places
. In 1999 a rotunda
was built on to the back of the building. This new section houses the branch’s children’s collection, one of the largest in Saint Paul
.
Although one of St. Paul’s smaller library branches at 10590 square feet (983.8 m²), the St. Anthony Park Branch circulated 265,776 items in 2005, making it the third busiest branch in the city. The on-site collection numbered 55,175 items that same year. The branch is open 60.5 hours per week, all seven days.
The library branch is considered an icon of the Saint Anthony Park
neighborhood. Primary user groups are neighborhood residents, students and faculty from the nearby University of Minnesota’s St. Paul Campus and Luther Seminary
, and students from two nearby public schools. One-third of users come from Minneapolis
and suburban Ramsey County
. To serve the many U of M graduate students and their families from who are from Asia
, the branch has the city’s primary collection of Chinese
and Japanese language
materials.
The St. Anthony Park Branch is unique in having its own community advocacy group, the St. Anthony Park Library Association (SAPLA), in addition to the overall Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. The annual St. Anthony Park Arts Festival began on the library’s front lawn and now sprawls for more than a block. During the festival, which is the first Saturday in June, the library holds a very large used book sale.
St. Paul Public Library
The Saint Paul Public Library is a library system serving the residents of Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. The library system includes a Central Library, twelve branch locations, and a bookmobile....
. A Carnegie library
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
built in 1917, it is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. In 1999 a rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
was built on to the back of the building. This new section houses the branch’s children’s collection, one of the largest in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
.
Although one of St. Paul’s smaller library branches at 10590 square feet (983.8 m²), the St. Anthony Park Branch circulated 265,776 items in 2005, making it the third busiest branch in the city. The on-site collection numbered 55,175 items that same year. The branch is open 60.5 hours per week, all seven days.
The library branch is considered an icon of the Saint Anthony Park
Saint Anthony Park (Saint Paul)
Saint Anthony Park is a neighborhood in northwest Saint Paul, Minnesota. This neighborhood is adjacent to the University of Minnesota's St. Paul Campus , bordering Southeast Minneapolis on the west, the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on the east , and the suburbs of Falcon Heights and Lauderdale to...
neighborhood. Primary user groups are neighborhood residents, students and faculty from the nearby University of Minnesota’s St. Paul Campus and Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary is the largest seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . Located in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of St...
, and students from two nearby public schools. One-third of users come from Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
and suburban Ramsey County
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1849. As of 2010, the population was 508,640. Its county seat is St. Paul, which is also Minnesota's state capital. The county is named for Alexander Ramsey , the first governor of the Minnesota Territory...
. To serve the many U of M graduate students and their families from who are from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the branch has the city’s primary collection of Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
materials.
The St. Anthony Park Branch is unique in having its own community advocacy group, the St. Anthony Park Library Association (SAPLA), in addition to the overall Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. The annual St. Anthony Park Arts Festival began on the library’s front lawn and now sprawls for more than a block. During the festival, which is the first Saturday in June, the library holds a very large used book sale.