St. Cloud, Minnesota: A Library at the Heart of Its Community

Link to September 19 St. Cloud Times article, "1 year later, St. Cloud Public Library use soars".

Excerpt: In its first year, the new St. Cloud Public Library has become a gathering place in the community and has welcomed back people who haven’t been to the library in years.

On Sunday it will be a year since the library celebrated its grand opening with much fanfare. The $36 million project created a new centerpiece in the community, with its copper facade and large windows opening into a light and inviting interior.

The growth in the number of people coming to the library is staggering. The number of items checked out between September 2008 and August this year is 84 percent higher than the number checked out from September 2007 to August 2008.