Thing 4: public library visit

After reading Kelly Johnson's blog, I was inspired to go visit the new Minneapolis Central Library. I frequently visit the Chanhassen library, so I was ready for a new adventure. First of all, it is a beautiful building. The arcitecture was amazing. I thought it was very modern and yet very warm and inviting at the same time. It appeared as if many different types of people felt welcome at the library. Chanhassen is very homogeneous, so I really enjoyed observing the diverse people at the downtown library. It was a very unique mixing of cultures.

The library has some really special spaces and collections. I thought the children's area was fantastic. I could see how a young person could get lost there among all the wonderful books. The teen area was very cool. I was surprised at how small it was, but it certainly looks like a place my 8th graders would want to hang out. I thought it was an ingeneous idea to have each floor in a different carpet color. It certainly made it easier to navigate the huge space.

Now that I have returned from this adventure, I need to spend some time exploring the online sources that public libraries have to offer.

I am also making plans with my media specialist to get all of my kids a library card to facilitate their use of public libraries for our History Day project.