Arlington Hills - opened in 1917, though it was a "library station" dating back to 1905 before that - is one of the Saint Paul Public Library's oldest branches. More than half the site's books are for children and teens. The branch also offers storytimes and other community events throughout the year.

Patrons enjoy reciprocity privileges at libraries in the seven-county metro area.

Nestled among a stand of oak trees in Augsburg Park, the Augsburg Park Library, part of the Hennepin County Library system, is a sizeable branch with a large children's section, a diverse selection of offerings for teens, and a world language collection with materials for all ages in Spanish, Somali, and Vietnamese. The library also provides storytimes, homework help, and other family-friendly programming throughout the year.

Give a dull day a jolt with a visit to the electrifying Bakken Museum & Library, located in an intriguing Tudor mansion just like the ones in spooky old Vincent Price films. Home to thousands of rare books and scientific instruments relating to the role of electricity and magnetism in life and medicine, The Bakken was founded by Earl E. Bakken, inventor of the first transistorized cardiac pacemaker.

The Bakken is an independent, nonprofit educational institution and hosts many hands-on learning events and exhibitions throughout the year, including weekly Family Science Saturdays and multi-session Saturday classes for budding inventors.

Its small museum store carries a bright and shiny array of unique toys and games. Mini-scientists are sure gravitate toward the wide selection of home experiment kits.

Parties: Available during Family Science Saturdays for $100, which includes use of kitchen space and a 2.5-hour room rental (10am-1pm or 2pm-5pm). Call 612.926.3878, ext. 200, well in advance to book.

Summer Camps: Offered weekly from late-June through August for ages seven through 14, with the largest selection of programming for kids entering grades four to six. Co-ed and girls-only options are sometimes offered as well. Expect to pay about $150/week (half-day) to $275/week (full-day); scholarships are available for those who qualify.

The Belle Plaine Branch Library is one of eight branches in the Scott County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

Enhanced features at Brookdale Library - which reopened after an extensive renovation in 2004 - include floor-to-ceiling windows and enormous, playful sculptures.

The Children's Area is home to a huge purple dragon that also serves as book bin, a castle theater where kids can stage their own puppet shows, and a colorful 30-foot sculpture of a hippo, elephant and rhino climbing an acacia tree.

The large collection of books and audio-visual materials is enhanced by more than 130 computers, with stations for children offering LittleLinks and KidLinks.
The recently-enlarged teen area offers more books, computers, study tables, and comfortable seating.

Multicultural programming for all ages, including free family storytimes, is presented thoughout the year in the library's StarDome. There's also an on-site coffee shop. Spanish and Hmong liaisons are available to assist customers, and the library's collection includes books and other resources in Arabic, Cambodian, French, Hmong, Laotian, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Brookdale is one of the largest libraries in the Hennepin County Library system, and one of the few branches open on Sundays.

The kids area at the Brooklyn Park Library, part of the Hennepin County Library system, features a 25-foot fantasy painting by a Minneapolis artist, a large stuffed Arthur for children to read to, computers, a selection of puppets for borrowing, and comfy seating.

The library has recently been rearranged to open up space, add comfortable seating near the children's area and magazines, and increase the number of computers. In addition to books, there is a wide selection of audio books and DVDs, and any title in the HCL catalog that's not on the shelves can be requested. A recently-enlarged Teen Area houses 12 additional computers, bean bag chairs, and books, videos, and DVDs, including manga and comics. The library's world language collection includes books, videos, and DVDs in Hmong, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Self-service machines speed checkout. Restrooms with changing tables, and a water fountain, are located off the main lobby entry.

The library hosts storytimes, events, and cultural programs throughout the year. Many programs, including storytime sessions, require advance registration, which is available online. Friends of the Brooklyn Park Library runs on-site book sales of children's materials (usually in the spring and fall), a teen book sale in October, and book sales featuring adult fiction and nonfiction at other times during the year.

The Burnhaven Library is one of eight branches in the Dakota County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

The Centennial Branch Library is one of eight branches in the Anoka County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

The Champlin Library, part of the Hennepin County Library system, is light and airy, with lots of windows and a welcoming atmosphere.

Toddlers can perform puppet plays on the puppet stage while teens relax on bean bag chairs in their own special area. The book selection for children runs from board books and easy readers to hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction. There's also a large selection of easy nonfiction.

The library offers family, toddler, and baby storytimes throughout the year, and other family-friendly programming. The Friends of the Champlin Library hold book sales in May and October.

The City of South St. Paul Library is part of the Dakota County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

The Crooked Lake Branch Library is one of eight branches in the Anoka County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

This large Saint Paul Public Library branch is located on the campus of Metropolitan State University, but the collection is squarely aimed at families: materials for children and teens comprise approximately 70 percent of the collection.

The library's quiet and comfortable Zone Homework Center features computers, reference books, office supplies, and mentors, so kids can work on homework alone or seek help.

The library hosts storytimes and other family-friendly programming throughout the year, and patrons enjoy reciprocity privileges at libraries throughout the seven-county metro area.

The Teens Know Best Committee meets monthly. Kids ages 12 to 18 can join to share their opinions and ideas; committee members often review books before they hit stores. Call 651.793.1699 for more information.

The East Lake Library, a Minneapolis branch that's now part of the merged Hennepin County Library system, hosts bilingual storytimes and other family events throughout the year.

A stellar renovation transformed a former Lunds grocery store into the Eden Prairie Library, with a beautiful interior and state-of-the-art features that make the branch of the Hennepin County Library a regional landmark. It's also a resource library within the system, one of only five to have Sunday hours.

The library boasts a colorful Children's Area for parents and kids to explore together, and a Teen Area where older kids can gather and read.

Other amenities include a large selection of materials in Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese, 82 computer workstations, a computer lab, a periodicals area with fireplace and comfortable seating, and a meeting room. The library hosts children's programming, book clubs, and special family events and performances throughout the year.

The Edina Library is one of two Hennepin County Library locations in Edina (the other is Southdale). It has a sizeable children's section equipped with comfy seating for kids, computers, and sections for pre-readers and older kids. There is also a separate room - with stained glass windows by William Saltzman - where children can play with puppets and other kids, and listen to CDs or stories. The selection of shelved videos and DVDs is on the small side here, but as with books, any title in the catalog can be requested.

The library hosts storytimes, events, and cultural programs. Many programs require advance registration (available online), including storytime sessions.

Self-service machines speed checkout. Restrooms and a water fountain are located off the main entry hall.

Friends of the Edina Library run on-site book sales, usually in April and October, to support library programming.

The Elko New Market Branch Library is one of eight branches in the Scott County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

The Excelsior Library - one of the smaller libraries in the Hennepin County Library system - features a children's section (with movable shelves to accommodate special events), computer workstations, and the same free WiFi offered at the other branches in the county.

The library also hosts special events, storytimes, and classes for kids and families throughout the year.

The Farmington Library is one of eight branches in the Dakota County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

The offerings at the recently-renovated Franklin division of the Hennepin County Library (now merged with the MPL system) are as diverse as the community it serves.

Improvements here include an expanded children's section with a welcoming pavillion and storybook room; a teen-friendly area with magazines, books, computers, and comfortable seating; upgraded technology, including a Learning Center and Tech Center; enhanced world language offerings; and the addition of self-service checkout machines. Mosaic pictographs and petroglyphs celebrate the cultural richness of the neighborhood.

The library hosts events and programs for kids and families throughout the year, including Homework Helpers, with many bilingual offerings, and programs in Somali and Spanish.

The Galaxie Library is one of eight branches in the Dakota County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

A warm, inviting children's section adorned with Beatrix Potter and Nancy Carlson prints, a colorful activity table with child-sized seating, and a sizeable puppet collection welcome kids to this library in the Hennepin County Library system.

The children's section is located in an alcove off the adult fiction room, making it convenient for families to visit together. Five Kidlinks computers provide kid-friendly websites, stories, interactive reading games, and homework help. Board books, DVDs, music CDs, magazines, and books on tape complement the book collection. Kids enjoy using the self-checkout machines.

The library hosts open family storytimes, and storytimes for babies and toddlers which require preregistration, along with other children's and adult programming, author visits, book clubs, and special events throughout the year.

About half the materials in this stately Saint Paul Public Library branch are geared toward children, though there is only one computer in the children's section.

The site hosts storytimes and family-friendly events throughout the year, and patrons enjoy reciprocity privileges at libraries throughout the seven-county metro area.

Hayden Heights, a mid-size branch of the Saint Paul Public Library system, offers events for teens and storytimes for younger kids.

With 41 urban and suburban locations, the Hennepin County Library - which recently merged with the Minneapolis Public Library - provides a host of traditional, as well as electronic, services, and a considerable range of free events and programming for all ages, including an extensive series of live performances each summer. The collection encompasses more than five million books, CDs, and DVDs in 40 languages, and 1,600 public-use computers.

Anticipated long-term benefits of the merger are more
streamlined service, easier access to the entire collection, and expanded programming and information. However, while the two library systems integrate, they maintain separate websites and catalogs. The websites include information on events, materials, volunteer opportunities, job links, and reading suggestions.

Account information is also available online, making renewals a breeze and helping to avoid late fees; patrons can also sign up to receive email notification of approaching due dates.

Most items in the online catalog can be requested, and, once available, held for pickup at the branch of your choice. It's as easy as placing an order at Amazon.com, but it won't set you back a dime!

The reciprocity agreement between metro area public library systems offers enormous convenience. A card from one system provides access to all, and checked out items can be returned to any branch in any of the systems, regardless of where you got them. (It takes longer for such returns to be reflected in the computer system, but late fees stop accruing on the actual return date, not when the items are reshelved at the original branch.)

The Heritage Library is one of eight branches in the Dakota County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

This large, friendly Saint Paul Public Library branch occupies the north end of the bulding it shares with the Hillcrest Recreation Center.

It features an extensive Russian language collection, and houses the sizeable fiction and mystery collections formerly shelved at the Central Library.

There are public-use computers and a large, welcoming Children's Area. The library hosts storytimes, teen events, and other family-friendly programming throughout the year. Patrons can enjoy reciprocity privileges at libraries throughout the seven-county metro area.

Beautiful stained glass windows enhance this library, and a spacious and inviting children's section offers reading materials for all levels. The teen area features a lounge for relaxing, and shelves of graphic novels, magazines, and teen paperback novels.

All ages are welcome to use internet stations and a quiet study room. Free storytimes, classes, events, and extensive summer programming make this a warm and bustling destination within the Hennepin County Library system.

The Inver Glen Library is one of eight branches in the Dakota County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

The Johnsville Branch Library is one of eight branches in the Anoka County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

The Jordan Branch Library is one of eight branches in the Scott County library system, which is part of the seven-county MELSA group of libraries offering joint programming and reciprocity privileges to cardholders.

Linden Hills Library - a renovated branch of the newly-merged Hennepin County Library system housed in a lovely, stately old building - features an enhanced and expanded children's room with its own storytelling alcove.

The inviting teen space offers computers, comfortable seating, new books, and a wide selection of magazines. Best of all, an added elevator makes the library accessible to all.

Located in a small shopping mall in western Hennepin County, the Long Lake Library blends small town charm with the high-tech Internet access.

The library, part of the Hennepin County Library system, has seven public computers with Internet and word processing, a summer program for kids, and a separate children's room filled with books, CDs, DVDs, videos, audio tapes, comfortable pillows, puzzles, puppets, and more.

Comfortable seating where parents and kids can cuddle and read, and an interactive magnetic alphabet tree await visitors to the children's section of the 20-year-old Maple Grove Library, one of the busiest libraries in the Hennepin County Library system.

The children's collection has a variety of choices for every reader and every age. Older children can also access KidLinks computers for homework help, booklists, or games. The teen area offers TeenLink computers, comfortable seating, and space to do homework assignments.

The World Language collection includes materials in Spanish and Russian for both adults and children.

Free storytimes - some requiring preregistration - are offered for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers and their parents or caregivers, along with other family events and performances throughout the year.

In 2010, a new Maple Grove Library - nearly three times the size of the current one! - will open in the heart of downtown Maple Grove.

The Maple Plain Library offers the best of both worlds: the friendly staff, lack of lines, and ample parking one hopes to find at small town branches; and access to the same books, CDs, DVDs, and computers found at larger suburban branches of the Hennepin County Library system.

A Teen Room boasts its own computers, comfortable furniture, teen artwork on display, and a great collection of magazines and books selected just for teens. In additional to a weekly storytime during the school year, the library also hosts children's programming and live entertainment throughout the summer; magicians, jugglers, storytellers, and other performers keep children in a reading state of mind!

The Merriam Park branch of the Saint Paul Public Library system features a special Deaf and Hard of Hearing Collection, including materials on hearing loss and sign language, closed-captioned and ASL