General Information

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Founded in 1928, the Columbia Heights Public Library is one of only a handful of libraries in the state-owned and operated by a city. It operates in partnership with the Anoka County Library system and receives more than 115,000 visits annually. The mission of the Columbia Heights Public Library is to serve a diverse community’s needs for access to resources, information, and technology in a welcoming environment with professional staff and innovative programming. The library participates in MELSA (the regional system), METRONET (through a contract with the Anoka County Library), and the Statewide Borrowers' Compact. The library is a department of the City and is governed by a policy-making Library Board.

POLICIES
To see details on all of the library's policies, click here to download a copy of our policy manual.

HISTORY
In its current location at 3939 Central Ave NE, the Columbia Heights Public Library finds itself a mere stone’s throw from its original location at the Heights Theater building, where it shared a small space with the theater and a handful of other businesses back in 1928. The library has been housed in a half dozen buildings since its inception and is steeped in Columbia Heights history. Harriet Blythe founded the Columbia Heights Library in 1928 as part of her Red Wagon Brigade, a project headed by Blythe and the Silver Lake School Mothers Club to collect books, magazines, and furniture for the first public library in Columbia Heights, which opened Dec 3, 1928, at 3949 Central Ave NE, in the Heights Theater. Learn more about the Library's history here.

The library's award-winning new home was completed in 2016 on budget and ahead of schedule. The 22,565-square-foot building provides print and digital collections, community meeting spaces, educational and recreational programming, and 20 computer stations. The study rooms, small meeting rooms, and Community Room received more than 3,200 public reservations in 2017, representing a 93 percent increase in reservations compared to the old building.

AWARDS
American Institute of Architects Minneapolis Merit Award 2018
MN Brownfields ReScape Award 2016

ADDRESS
3939 Central Ave NE
Columbia Heights, MN 55421