May 1, 2006 - Join residents of Minneapolis and surrounding areas for a free "Be Part of the Story" grand opening event at the new Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, N290, on Saturday May 20. Adults and kids are welcome to visit the library anytime between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to take a tour of the new facility and share in other special activities for all ages. The new Central Library was built by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli and will serve as a premier community-gathering place and destination spot in downtown Minneapolis.

Designed to inspire learning, invite interaction and link everyone to knowledge and information, a few of the exciting highlights of the new 353,000 square-foot civic building include:

* More computers with Internet access for free public use than anywhere in the state

* Wireless Internet access throughout, 25 new meeting and study areas, a Dunn Brothers Coffee Shop and the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library bookstore featuring used books for sale and other small gifts

* A children's library that holds the Upper Midwest's largest public library collection of children's books

* Emma B. Howe Teen Central, one of the first spaces of its kind in the United States to be designed by and for teens

* A New Americans Center with informational services and community resources to serve the one in every five households in Minneapolis that speaks a language other than English, and more than 6,000 new immigrants who join our community every year

* Essential in-person and remote business services, including Minnesota's only complete U.S. patent collection and the most extensive collection of government documents of any Minnesota public library.


"Be Part of the Story" and join the fun on May 20th at the Minneapolis Central Library. See
you there!

For more information about the grand opening please visit our website at
http://www.mplib.org, or call Emily Watts at 612.630.6238 or ekwatts@mplib.org.

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