Hey there,

I’m here with the first review of a library on my tour of visiting every public library in the state Minnesota by September 1st, 2040. 14 years to visit every library in the state? That seems like it should be a piece of cake right? Wellllll, there’s approximately 358 physical public libraries in the state of Minnesota. And not to mention, over 200 of those are more than 3 hours away; some upwards of 6 hours. The first library on my journey is Arlington Hills Library in E. St. Paul. This library is right on the corner of Maryland Ave E & Payne Ave and also serves as a community center. I was thrown off by the community center at first and couldn’t find my way, but luckily there were staff members sitting right inside the doors to happily direct me to the library.

So, let’s talk about the experience. I’ll be honest, this isn’t a favorite on my list of libraries. The book selection was very limited. The library is doing what they can with what they have, but there aren’t too many options to pick from. The adult section is primarily connected to the main area with the computers that sit in the middle of the room. It seems like that’s what this library is, sort of one big room with a slightly sectioned off children’s area. I did find one non-fiction book that I’ve been looking for for quite a while though, so that was a win. By the way, that book is Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker if you’re wondering. I didn’t notice any amenities such as closed off study rooms, but there are computers for patron use.

I’ll comment on the children’s area in great detail because these are my favorite points of interest in the because I’m on this library journey with my young daughter and this is generally where we spend most of our time when we visit libraries. The children’s area at Arlington Hills is a slightly sectioned off area on the edge of the library. It is fairly small, and just like the adult section there is a very limited selection of books. My daughter didn’t seem to mind though so that’s ultimately what counts. She was able to find a stack of books to take home and that’s all that mattered to her. They have a small selection of toys to play with, but unfortunately a lot of the toy bins were empty, missing pieces and/or broken, and did not have the items listed on the outside of the bin in them. I hate to even talk badly about a library, because they are such a gift to have in the community, but there were a group of teenagers congregating in the children’s area and using the “fort” structure made for kids that has cushions and pillows to use as a sanctuary spot for reading. They were being very loud, using profane language, and smelled like marijuana. Needless to say we did not spend a lot of time here. I only wished they could have made their way to the teen area. Which I did not check out by the way because we were a bit uncomfortable.

The negative experiences we had at the library do not negate the positive. The librarian was extremely helpful in showing me where the book return was and getting my library card linked to the St. Paul Public Library system. Though I didn’t catch his name, he deserves some recognition. It’s not his fault that teenagers will be teenagers. We were all teenagers once, and I guess we should be happy that they chose to spend their time at a library of all the places they could have been. The restrooms are also not mother approved. I’m no prude, but there was suspicious behavior happening inside the bathroom, cleanliness was not even up to a 4-year-old’s standards, and once again it smelled of marijuana. Our exploratory nature did not shine through at this library because I was more comfortable leaving, but that’s not to say it’s a bad library. Maybe just bad timing with other visitors that day. So here’s a list of some of my ratings.

Overall Star Rating

Important Things to Know

• Address: 1200 Payne Ave, St Paul, MN 55130
• Library System: St. Paul Public Library
• Parking: Free parking lot with plenty of spaces to park
• Accessibility: Yes

My Ratings 

• Book Selection: 2/5

• Children’s area: 3/5

• Amenities: 2/5

• Cleanliness: 3/5

• Staff friendliness: 4/5 

• Restrooms: 2/5 

Unique Features

• Open on Sundays from 1-5 pm
• Library is within a community center
• Outdoor children’s/reading area
• Return Visit? Sadly, no 

Photos

I didn’t take any photos of the inside of this library. This was the first library we visited that sparked this crazy idea of visiting every library in the state, so I wasn’t exactly sure what this meant as far as documenting things inside the library. I’m sure I’ll get better at this over time and continue to come up with more ideas, but this one was kept very simple. I did however get a picture in front of the library with my daughter that will become out signature picture with every library we visit.

Nearby

I didn’t necessarily look for nearby food and coffee but I passed a few places along the way that looked like they may be worth stopping for. Especially if you’re in the area for the day. St. Paul has plenty to offer and most places are within a 10-15 minute driving radius. Here’s a quick list of places in close proximity that looked appealing to me. This list does not include anything in the downtown area, only places that are directly surrounding the library.

• Carnitas don Tacho
• Cora’s Best Chicken Wings: This has been on my list to try for a while
• Morelo’s Bakery
• Phalen Regional Park: I’ve been here, great walking trail around the lake
• Arlington Playground: This is a brand new park directly behind the library

So that’s all I have for you on the Arlington Hills Library. Even though there were certain things that were subpar for my needs/wants, we still enjoyed being in environment among books and many people who shared that same love for books. I will continue on my journey of visiting Minnesota libraries and document our experiences. That’s all for now.

Talk soon,

Corrah