City: Minneapolis, MN

Category: Relocation

Telephone: (952) 847-8000

Address: 300 Nicollet Mall

Description: The new central Minneapolis Public Library opened to the public on May 20, 2006, and the Cesar Pelli–designed masterpiece is a spectacular building worth a visit even if you’re not looking for a book. For casual browsers, the new library has nearly 100 percent of its collection accessible to the public, a noticeable improvement from the 15 percent that was available in the old library. The transparent building is extremely energy efficient and allows readers to page through their finds under natural lighting. The windows are specially designed to avoid damage to fragile books from ultraviolet light. The building includes numerous meeting rooms, an auditorium, areas specifically for young children and teens, a New Americans Center for non–English-speaking immigrants, a cafe, a bookstore, vast computer services, and a connection to the Minneapolis Skyway System. The library will also be home to the Minnesota Planetarium and Space Discovery Center, scheduled for completion in 2010. As of a recent merger between the Hennepin County Library system and the Minneapolis Public Libraries, the Minneapolis Central Library is now the hub of all public libraries in the county.