The Hennepin County Library, which serves Hennepin County, Minnesota, including the city of Minneapolis, consists of 41 branches in 24 cities and towns. Of these, 15 are in Minneapolis; collectively they made up the Minneapolis Public Library until they were absorbed by the Hennepin system in the merger. Four branches (Central, Franklin, Hosmer, and Sumner) were originally founded as Carnegie libraries. Several other libraries, separate from the system, also operate within the county's boundaries.
Many of the branches of the current library system were established by entities other than the system itself. The Minneapolis Public Library was founded in 1885 to serve Minneapolis, the county's largest city. It opened its first two branches in 1890. During the 1890s, many areas of Minnesota, especially rural zones, lacked free libraries. Over the course of the decade a patchwork of private and legislative efforts sought to deal with the dearth. The city of Hopkins established its own independent library system in 1912; in 1913, other Minnesota cities including Wayzata and Robbinsdale were recorded as having library associations or clubs of their own.
Hennepin County established a library service of its own in early 1922, which entailed taking control of some of the smaller cities' branches (including Robbinsdale's) as well as the creation of a bookmobile which was scheduled to run nine routes per month by 1926. In 1934, Minneapolis was awarded a $125,000 endowment from the Carnegie Corporation for four branch buildings. By the mid-1950s, there were 25 branch libraries, and the bookmobile reached 1,300 families.
The Hennepin County Library board was established as a separate entity in 1965 as a building initiative to serve the rest of the county. The two library boards first discussed the idea of a merger in 1967. Due to concerns about properly serving the residents and city of Minneapolis, the merger debate ended in 1974, keeping both groups separate. In 2007, the merger was revisited and the Minneapolis Public Library officially joined the Hennepin County Library system at the beginning of 2008.
| Image ! | Opened | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arvonne Fraser | Minneapolis | 44.981°N -93.2377°W | 1967 | Replaced the former Pillsbury branch, which had opened in 1904 as the second branch of the library. Name changed from Southeast in 2019 in honor of Arvonne Fraser. | |||
| Augsburg Park | Richfield | 44.874°N -93.2788°W | 1974 | Renovated in 1988 and 2013 | |||
| Brookdale | Brooklyn Center | 45.0659°N -93.3106°W | 1981 | Originally built in 1965 after a bookmobile served the community for a number of years. | |||
| Brooklyn Park | Brooklyn Park | 45.111°N -93.3558°W | 2016 | Replaced 1976 library | |||
| Champlin | Champlin | 45.1749°N -93.3942°W | 1994 | Replaced earlier 1921 and 1973 Champlin Libraries | |||
| East Lake | Minneapolis | 44.9481°N -93.2319°W | 2007 | Replaced earlier 1924 and 1976 East Lake Libraries | |||
| Eden Prairie | Eden Prairie | 44.8504°N -93.4279°W | 2004 | Replaced 1973 Eden Prairie Reading Center and 1986 Eden Prairie Community Library | |||
| Edina | Edina | 44.9081°N -93.3561°W | 2004 | Originally opened in a schoolhouse in 1921. First permanent location was established in 1968, and the library remained there until its 2004 move. | |||
| Excelsior | Excelsior | 44.9016°N -93.5676°W | 2014 | Replaced 1965 Excelsior Library | |||
| Franklin | Minneapolis | 44.963°N -93.2558°W | 1914 | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places | |||
| Golden Valley | Golden Valley | 44.9882°N -93.3793°W | 1971 | Renovated in 2015–2016 | |||
| Hopkins | Hopkins | 44.9255°N -93.4142°W | 1968 | Replaced earlier incarnations at Hopkins City Hall, Dow House (to which it moved in 1948), and an empty restaurant (to which it moved in 1963) | |||
| Hosmer | Minneapolis | 44.9375°N -93.2706°W | 1916 | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places | |||
| Linden Hills | Minneapolis | 44.925°N -93.3165°W | 1931 | Replaced rented Lake Harriet Commercial Club Building space. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. | |||
| Long Lake | Long Lake | 44.9856°N -93.5723°W | 1995 | Replaced several spaces serving the area since 1913 | |||
| Maple Grove | Maple Grove | 45.102°N -93.4412°W | 2010 | Replaced nearby 1987 building | |||
| Maple Plain | Maple Plain | 45.0078°N -93.6555°W | 1973 | Replaced several locations providing service to the area since 1922 | |||
| Minneapolis Central | Minneapolis | 44.9805°N -93.27°W | 2006 | Original 1889 building was a few blocks away; replaced 1961 building at current location. | |||
| Minnetonka | Minnetonka | 44.9086°N -93.5027°W | 1989 | First opened in the late 1800s in the Fletcher–Loring Flour Mill. Moved to other community locations until settling in 1989 at current location. | |||
| Nokomis | Minneapolis | 44.9107°N -93.2231°W | 1968 | Replaced the Longfellow Community Library, which opened in 1937. | |||
| North Regional | Minneapolis | 45.0128°N -93.2963°W | 1971 | Was the largest branch outside the main library at the time of its opening in 1971. | |||
| Northeast | Minneapolis | 45.0102°N -93.2478°W | 1973 | Replaced 1915 Central Avenue branch | |||
| Osseo | Osseo | 45.1207°N -93.4025°W | 1967 | First opened above a drugstore in 1922. Moved several times until establishing its current location in Osseo City Hall. | |||
| Oxboro | Bloomington | 44.844°N -93.2673°W | 1974 | Temporary library operated from 1962 to 1973; current facilities were renovated in 2003–2004, and 2018–2019. | |||
| Penn Lake | Bloomington | 44.844°N -93.3096°W | 1970 | Replaced library service housed in two different school buildings since 1954 | |||
| Pierre Bottineau | Minneapolis | 44.9991°N -93.27°W | 2003 | Started as the Logan Park branch in a small reading room in 1913. Moved and renamed as the Pierre Bottineau Library in 1957. Current location opened in 2003. | |||
| Plymouth | Plymouth | 45.0227°N -93.4812°W | 2010 | Replaced 1995 facility. | |||
| Ridgedale | Minnetonka | 44.9648°N -93.4401°W | 1982 | Renovated in 1999 and 2017–2018 | |||
| Rockford Road | Crystal | 45.0321°N -93.3619°W | 1972 | Prior to 1972, operated in other locations in the community. | |||
| Rogers | Rogers | 45.1915°N -93.5486°W | 1980 | Replaced bookmobile service in the area beginning in the 1970s | |||
| Roosevelt | Minneapolis | 44.9296°N -93.2325°W | 1927 | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places | |||
| Southdale | Edina | 44.8755°N -93.3197°W | 1973 | A new building is planned to be constructed during 2020–2022. | |||
| St. Anthony | St. Anthony | 45.016°N -93.2191°W | 2002 | Replaced 1963 library | |||
| St. Bonifacius | St. Bonifacius | 44.9041°N -93.7434°W | 1931 | Renovated in 2006 | |||
| St. Louis Park | St. Louis Park | 44.9444°N -93.3697°W | 1968 | Originally opened in 1913; moved in 1914 to Central Junior High School. Moved in 1960 and again to its current location. | |||
| Sumner | Minneapolis | 44.9848°N -93.2946°W | 1915 | In 1938 was relocated 100feet to accommodate construction of Olson Memorial Highway. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. | |||
| Walker | Minneapolis | 44.9496°N -93.2987°W | 2014 | Replaced 1911 and 1981 Walker branches | |||
| Washburn | Minneapolis | 44.9073°N -93.2887°W | 1970 | Expanded in 1991; updates were made in 2014 | |||
| Wayzata | Wayzata | 44.9714°N -93.5117°W | 2003 | Replaced earlier 1905, 1955 (temporary), and 1957 library spaces | |||
| Webber Park | Minneapolis | 45.0319°N -93.2885°W | 2017 | Replaced an earlier 1910 library which would become Camden Library and later Webber Park Library which moved to new building in 1980 before moving to a temporary location in 2013. | |||
| Westonka | Mound | 44.9406°N -93.6669°W | 1972 | Replaced various earlier community locations which began service to the area in 1915 |
Historically, the library operated a bookmobile that started in 1922. In 1955, the bookmobile was serving 1,500–1,600 families and 16 schools, and in 1962 that figure was up to 6,000 families. The library still offers outreach services in the form of mailing or delivering materials to the home of patrons unable to physically access the library system.
The following libraries are no longer operational:
The Hennepin County Library formerly operated school libraries in rural communities and a library in Glen Lake Sanatorium.
The following libraries are located in Hennepin County, but not part of the Hennepin County Library system: the Hennepin County Law Library, Lindell Library at Augsburg University, Minneapolis Community and Technical College Library (located in Whitney Hall), Minneapolis Institute of Art Museum Library, Normandale Community College Library, Quatrefoil Library, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Library, North Central University's T.J. Jones Library and the University of Minnesota Libraries.