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    Magrath Library

    4.0 (1 review)

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    Recommended Reviews - Magrath Library

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    13 years ago

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    James J Hill Center - Photo courtesy of Laura Ivanova Photography

    James J Hill Center

    4.6(16 reviews)
    5.1 miDowntown St. Paul

    The Reading Room is an excellent space for an intimate wedding. There were about 150 guests and the…read moreceremony took place in the front of the room, with elegant tables behind for the plated dinner reception. Waitstaff circulated with hors d'oeuvres as we waited in the receiving line, keeping everyone engaged. I loved the library theme, from the Save The Date library book cards to the tables identified by famous authors. We were seated at Dickens, our dinner preferences printed out on beautiful bookmarks. The three-story ceilings are reached by massive bookshelves with upstairs hallways for reaching those high books. The flowers were gorgeous and organic and the catered food was delicious from salad to dessert. It's not an inexpensive venue, but it is warm and intimate once you get here. We ran into detours, slow trains, and closed roads so we had our Uber let us out about a 1/4 mile away because we were about to be late. We literally made it in as the ceremony started. Road construction, closed roads, detours, and slow freight trains don't show up on your travel map!

    A stunning interior historic space and building. If I were doing research here, I think I'd find it…read morevery enjoyable. Using it as a meeting space wasn't the greatest, since the speakers had power point presentations with lots of writing, and because the seating had to be deep and narrow, it was hard for those in the back. Sound also was splotchy, and the bathrooms are small and at the front, so you have to walk in front of everyone to reach them. As a stop to see something beautiful--it's a must if you're in this city.

    Photos
    James J Hill Center - Photo courtesy of Laura Ivanova Photography

    Photo courtesy of Laura Ivanova Photography

    James J Hill Center - Photo courtesy of Laura Ivanova Photography

    Photo courtesy of Laura Ivanova Photography

    James J Hill Center - Photo courtesy of La Vie Photography

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    Photo courtesy of La Vie Photography

    Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central Library

    Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central Library

    4.1(68 reviews)
    4.2 miDowntown Minneapolis

    Come here often over the years. Nicely designed. Excellent selection of books and media. Great…read moremeeting and conference rooms.

    This library is STUNNING. I don't think I could possibly take photographs that would do it justice,…read moreit's an architectural piece of art. Manages to be huge and modern and glassy while still feeling cozy. It's my absolute favorite place to curl up with a book for a few hours, or bring my laptop and work on writing my novel. It is also very clean, including the bathrooms, with helpful staff. I will say there are many homeless people who like to sleep on the comfy furniture here, and the stench can be something fierce. I'm not trying to be insensitive, but really... the smell is enough to gag me. But when I lived in Honolulu and Portland they had this same problem in the grand main branch of their library. I think it's just what happens in major cities. Fortunately, there are three floors of reading lofts where they do not go, and also all four floors have private study rooms available. You can reserve them online, or you can ask to be let into a walk-in one. They always have several available. Another nice thing about this library is the desks. They have reading lamps and power outlets for laptops. And the place is flooded with natural light. It makes a huge difference in my mental focus and clarity of mind to research or write somewhere with light that is both bright and soft, with a controlled temperature. We are lucky to have this library.

    Photos
    Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central Library
    Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central Library - Auditorium on the 2nd floor

    Auditorium on the 2nd floor

    Hennepin County Library - Minneapolis Central Library - Cargill Gallery, 2nd Floor

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    Cargill Gallery, 2nd Floor

    Dakota County Library - Galaxie - Quiet zone atrium

    Dakota County Library - Galaxie

    4.3(8 reviews)
    17.4 mi

    Located on the first floor of the Dakota County Western Service Center, the Dakota County Library…read more(Galaxie branch) on the south side of the county service center. Due to Covid restrictions, there are less activities being offered but I did not inquire about the iLab that is there. There is a "Calming Room" for autistic people, which is very inclusive and needed. I'm glad that the DCL includes this service.

    After the renovation, this library has improved tremendously. They have a lot of amenities that…read moreweren't there before like an ilab, scanners, printers, DVD player rentals, phone chargers. And the astrology theme going on is very aesthetically pleasing. They changed the outline of the entire library, like the study rooms are now in the back. There's a return rental/book check out right near the front. Even the lobby area has a big comfy couch and high tables for waiting for a ride. They changed the hours as well, it opens at 9am and closes at 8pm on Monday thru Thursday. Weekends have shorter hours. They close for every major holiday. The back area is great for studying, everyone is very quiet and studious. They have individual rooms to study in as well but the lights in the room are motion sensors and the lights keep shutting off quickly by themselves. Those private rooms are really hard to get since they're all occupied. The other side of the library is built mostly for meetings and homework help. There's a small law library on the far end of the library also. They have an atrium type of study space which is perfect because you sit in a room which has a lot of desks,and watching other people study motivates you as well. It's called the quiet zone and is absolutely quiet, not even a pin drop, perfect for serious studying without any distractions. The people who study here are courteous to not even whisper. The chairs in there can be a bit uncomfortable but that's only if you're there for a long time. There's only one librarian here, a middle aged Russian woman who really knows her stuff when it comes to electronics, she's very well informed and helpful.

    Photos
    Dakota County Library - Galaxie - ILab in the front

    ILab in the front

    Dakota County Library - Galaxie - Astrology theme throughout the library

    Astrology theme throughout the library

    Dakota County Library - Galaxie - Private study rooms

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    Private study rooms

    Magrath Library - libraries - Updated May 2026

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