Library # 6/381: Blue Earth Community Library

Hey there,

Here we are. Another library in the books for The Minnesota Tour of Libraries. I present to you: Ramsey County Library in Roseville. This library has been a personal favorite for both my daughter and I since she was about one-and-a-half-years-old. The first time we visited, she ran straight for the plastic wind tunnel that you can put scarves into and they blow straight up into the air. This seems to be a hit for all younger kids as far as I’ve seen. I think we stayed at that very wind tunneling station for at least a half an hour. I also think this was one of the first libraries we visited when we started venturing out beyond our local libraries within the county we lived in at the time. Which needless to say, we were both astounded because it’s quite a bit larger than your average local library. Rightfully so, since it’s serving a good portion of the Minneapolis and St. Paul suburbs. It is also known as the busiest library in Minnesota- but I’ll be the judge of that.. haha. We’ve been here a handful of times, and each time there are many people there but because of the size and layout of the building it never feels overly busy to me. People have room to spread out and that makes a huge difference. Lately, I’ve been interested in the history of the libraries so I’m going to start attaching a history section because it’s very intriguing to me how these wonderful places came to be. So let’s get started. Roseville library here we come!

Overall Star Rating 

Important Things to Know 

• Address: 2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113

• Library System: Ramsey County

• Parking: Parking lot

• Accessibility: Yes; elevator to get upstairs to adult section

My Ratings 

• Book selection: 5/5

• Children’s area: 5/5

• Amenities: 3/5

• Cleanliness: 4/5

• Staff friendliness: 3/5

• Restrooms: 5/5
  • They have TWO restrooms right inside the children’s area with tiny toilets for tiny butts! This is the best news ever. Especially when you’re newly potty training. You don’t have to run to the opposite side of the library to find a bathroom

Best for: ALL! There’s a place for everyone without having to be overcrowded and right on top of each other. I guess one thing I will note is that I didn’t notice the private workspace rooms, but I’m sure they have them. The adult section is on the second floor and I haven’t been up there a whole lot, so I guess I wasn’t really paying attention. I should probably start doing that if I’m going to visit every library and review them huh?

Would I come back? Yes

Unique Feature(s): 

• Outdoor sitting/play/garden area (sometimes events are hosted out here for the kiddos. Check the calendar in the summertime)
• Rose sculpture in front of the library (one on 20 in the Roseville area. Bonus thing to do- rose scavenger hunt!)
• Adult section completely separate from the rest of the library upstairs
• Parenting books are right inside the children’s area (that just makes sense, right??)

Photo

Nearby food/coffee/things to do: 

• Rosedale Mall: Just down the road
• The Original Malt Shop: Personal favorite of mine since I was a child
• The Minnesota State Fairgrounds: If you’re visiting in the last week of August- GO! Hands down the best fair in America (okay, I’m biased; but still, it’s worth it)
• Central Park: I have looooved this park ever since I was a kid. It’s comprised of multiple parks and it seems to just keep going on forever. A friend of mine and i used to go to the “main” park and sneak off to the other ones when we were kids. Good times! They also have a cool rocket ship that you can climb up and there’s a slide at the top
• Harriet Alexander Nature Center: Right across the street from Central Park, worth the stop. Lots of cool walking paths

So, if you’re ever in the Twin Cities area looking for a fun library for yourself and the kiddos, Roseville is the place to go. This one to me is worth about a half-hour drive if you can stand it, just because there’s so much to do in the area and the library is packed with things to do as well. I’m going to stop there because I could go on for days. My grandmother used to live in the Roseville area when I was a child, so I spent a lot of time around RV and experienced every item on the “things to do” list. And below, here’s the link to history I promised. Maybe next time I’ll elaborate. But not now. That’s all for now.

History of the Roseville Library

Talk soon,

Corrah