Stories of Impact

Your donation bridges gaps, enriches lives, and empowers our community.

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Three ACF book club members await the event.

Incarcerated Patrons Write Their Next Chapter With the Library

Since 1970, your library has offered service to adult and juvenile correctional facilities in Hennepin County.

Discover how your library reaches out during some of the toughest chapters in your neighbors’ lives.

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Timothy poses at North Regional Library

The Library is Magic

Here at Friends, we get to hear about so many instances of library magic, both day-making and life-changing.

Here’s a glimpse of your neighbors who, in ways big and small, found exactly what they were seeking at the library.

Discover stories of library magic
Sue and Brody read together at Brookdale Library.

It's Library Day: How One Second Grader Turned a Page with Let’s Read. 

Brody may be a math whiz, but when he gets to a word problem, he slows to a halt.

You see, Brody has had trouble reading since kindergarten. He’s slow to sound out common words and has trouble with fluency. He gets frustrated practicing with his parents at home.

His family was at a standstill.

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Let's Read!
Mynah poses among the stacks at Ridgedale Library.

"The library established my passion for reading, and beyond that, for learning."

Meet Mynah, a library enthusiast and a member of the Library Youth Advisory Committee (LYAC). This group of teens provide feedback and guidance about how to best serve youth.

Meet Mynah
Teen leaders!
Senior Librarian Tami poses among the stacks at Ridgedale Library.

Have a Question? Ask Tami.

Here's your behind-the-scenes peek at the work of the Ask Us Service librarians!

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A man smiles holding his new library card at the Opportunity Center shelter.

Kindness Can Be Such an Antidote

Imagine the challenges you might face each day without a place to call home. Barriers to employment, hygiene, safety, nutrition, and more.

Now, imagine the comfort of getting lost in a story…gaining skills from an excellent how-to… healing with a self-help workbook….

Read how your library reaches out to neighbors experiencing homelessness.

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Eden Prairie Library Lead Tutor works with a student at Homework Help program

Homework Help

How do you help a person see and believe in their capabilities? What does it take to build relationships that engage and empower? Ask Homework Help tutors! These caring adults not only help boost student grades, understanding, and confidence, but forge partnerships that have a lasting impact. Read about neighborhood tutors offering wisdom, patience, and life-changing lessons at the library.

Learn more about Homework Help
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 95, 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!

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New Connections
Irfan wearing Hennepin County Library batch and smiling

Franklin Library Helped Irfan Find New Community

“To be honest, the best people I’ve met are at the library.” Meet Teen Tech Squad member Irfan, whose loneliness transformed to belonging when he stepped into Franklin Library.
MNspin playing on phone

MNspin: Connect to Minnesota Music

MNspin is an online music streaming platform with a growing collection of albums by Minnesota artists curated by local experts. From hip-hop, jazz, and underground rock...
Woman in wheelchair reading a book

At Home Services

The livelihood and quality of life of so many patrons depend on At Home Services, a program that sends materials directly to those who are homebound. One patron shared, “If not for this amazing service, I'd be left adrift with no land in sight.” 
An adult and child review historical photos and documents

Build & Preserve our Treasured Collection

At the heart of our Library is the collection, filled with information and transformative content, free and available to all. Each and every day, these shared resources are shaping and uplifting...
Person using software at Teen Tech Center

Best Buy Teen Tech Center

The Best Buy Teen Tech Center is a free workspace located in Minneapolis Central Library that gives youth access to cutting-edge technology and software to create and express themselves...
Curios cat with reading glasses

Learn how your donation empowers our community to thrive.

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