Help the Hopkins Library Celebrate Its Centennial

The invites residents to help celebrate its centennial anniversary by sharing a favorite library memory.

The library merged with the Hennepin County Library system in 1973. But it was founded as a city library in 1912 after the Women’s Improvement League convinced officials of what was then called West Minneapolis to start a library in three rooms of the old city hall on Eighth and Excelsior Avenue (now Mainstreet).

“The Hopkins’ Library’s centennial celebration is a wonderful opportunity for everyone in the community to learn about the library’s history and to acknowledge its enduring importance to residents today,” a news release quoted Hennepin County Commissioner Jan Callison. “For 100 years, the Hopkins Library has improved lives by offering free access to books and other resources. Today, technology such as computers and downloadables have been added to the mix, and librarians help patrons make sense of information overload on the Internet. By celebrating the centennial, we’re honoring the past and looking forward to a future where Hopkins residents are even more literate, more informed and more successful, thanks in part to the library.”

Those with memories of the library are encouraged to submit a memory or story online or fill out a form at the library. Entries will be displayed in the library.

There will also be numerous events to commemorate the anniversary. At 6:30 p.m. May 8, Doug Ohman—a professional photographer and author of 13 books, including Libraries of Minnesota—will offer a free presentation.

A centennial open house called “Happy 100th: Then, Today, Tomorrow” will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. June 3. At the open house:

• Callison and Hennepin County Library Director Lois Langer Thompson will welcome the community and offer remarks about the library’s anniversary.
• Anne Ursu, former Hopkins children’s librarian Maryann Weidt, and JoAnn Bren Guernsey will lead an authors’ walk.
• Visitors will be able to see photo displays and read tales of the Dow House and ghosts. The Dow House was home to the library between 1948 and 1963.
• Books will be available for purchase and signing.

“Although the library building and its resources and services have changed tremendously over the past century, we continue to serve a diversity of people, and library patrons still love to read and rely on their library for information, education, and enrichment,” the news release quoted Hopkins librarian Lisa Bjerken. “We think the library will continue to transform, respond to patron needs and be a vital part of the Hopkins community in the next 100 years.”

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