Homework Help mentor and student
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Father and daughter holding library cards and smiling
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Man wearing glasses reading a book
Young curly hair child hides his smile behind an open book

Give back to the library you love!  Make your donation today.

Book covers collage by 2023-24 Pen Pals authors

Pen Pals returns for its 27th season - join us! 

Meet the latest slate of award-winning, bestselling voices comprising the 27th season of Pen Pals! In 2023-24, Pen Pals returns to Hopkins Center for the Arts to welcome Colm Tóibín, Bonnie Garmus, Ed Yong, Geraldine Brooks, and Abraham Verghese.

Learn more & Buy Tickets
Lecture series
Hands of diverse group of people holding books up

Reading Survey Results Are In!

We asked, and you delivered: scores of titles, keen insights into how you find book recommendations, and heartwarming tributes to the special people who made you the reader you are today. We hope that browsing the results, learning about your fellow library friends, and reflecting on your hopes for 2023 will provide you many bright spots in the month ahead. With 77% of survey responders listing the library as their #1 place for finding books, we know we’re in good company.

See the results
What will you read?
open staircase at Minneapolis Central Library

Explore the wonders of Minneapolis Central Library!

With more than one million books and visits per year, Minneapolis Central Library sparkles with ideas, activities, and unique resources. This landmark, the heart of the library system, is home to many stories, including yours. Discover the features of this stunning location, designed to help you write life's next chapter.

Step inside
Feed your curiosity
Nancy with her latest library books. Behind her is a photograph of her three smiling sons.

A Cup of Tea with Nancy, Who Reads a Book Every Day

From childhood to age 93, and all around the country, voracious reader Nancy has leaned on books for companionship, adventure, and community building. Now finding herself often at home, she relies on At Home Service to fuel her lofty reading habits (one book per day!) and transport herself to different worlds. Meet the person with a lifetime of literary memories to share!

Meet Nancy!
Irfan wearing Hennepin County Library batch and smiling

Franklin Library Helped Irfan Find New Community

Irfan is an exceptional young person who established a free tutoring center in his village in Afghanistan at age 14. However, when Afghanistan was evacuated in August 2021, he was forced to abandon the work he felt called to do. Transitioning to life in Minnesota, Irfan faced alienation and uncertainty. Read the full story to learn how his encounter with the library supported building community and the next chapter of his education. 

Read Irfan's Story

Upcoming Events that Support the Library

Talk of the Stacks

Brandon Taylor

Jun 6
Free Event - In-Person + Virtual
Talk of the Stacks

Erika L. Sánchez

Jul 12
Free Event - Virtual Only
Pen Pals

Colm Tóibín

Sep 14-15
Ticketed Event - In-person + Virtual
Pen Pals

Bonnie Garmus

Oct 25-26
Ticketed Event - In-person + Virtual
Pen Pals

Ed Yong

Nov 30-Dec 1
Ticketed Event - In-person + Virtual
Pen Pals

Geraldine Brooks

Mar 14-15
Ticketed Event - In-person + Virtual
Pen Pals

Abraham Verghese

May 6-7
Ticketed Event - In-person + Virtual
Don't Miss Out!

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Detail of eleven 22 x 4.5 inch panels illustrated with printed with trees and insect fairies

Discover the Treasures of Special Collections

Show me the Book Arts
Happy library patron holding 'Be Proud' library card

Connect with Your Library!

A library card is a gateway to resources, opportunities, support—and now you can access it all in style with the library’s brand-new card designs!

Learn more
Library Love
hand picking book of the shelf

Off the Shelf

The secret reading lives of local authors revealed

Read the interviews with local authors
Mohammed Lawal portrait

Get to know Mohammed Lawal

Learn what role does the library play in the life of Mohammed Lawal, the CEO & Principal Architect of Lawal Scott Erickson Architects, Inc. and FHCL board member. 
 

Read the interview
Meet library friends