Minneapolis Public Library, Minneapolis

The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was originally founded in 1860 as a publicly traded, private library called the Minneapolis Athenæum. In 1885 lumber baron and philanthropist T. B. Walker established a free public library called the Minneapolis Public Library. In 2008, after some financial difficulties, the library was merged into the Hennepin County Library. Its collection numbered about 3.1 million items with about 2.2 million of these housed in the central library. On November 7, 2000 Minneapolis voters approved a $140 million package to improve library services, including funding a new Central Library building.

The building was designed by Cesar Pelli, along with the Minneapolis firm Architectural Alliance. The first two branches of the Minneapolis Public Library opened in 1890, one each on the north and south sides of Minneapolis. A branch in the basement of North High School opened on February 27, 1890 and at 17th and Franklin Ave on April 23. By 2002 there were fourteen branches or community libraries. Each library had a staff member who was assigned to local schools to discuss the services available at the library.

Unusual for a public library, Minneapolis Public Library used the Library of Congress Classification. Prior to 1969 it used the Dewey Decimal System, although around 1890, the library switched to the early and short-lived Putnam classification system, developed by Minneapolis Librarian, Herbert Putnam.