Sumner Library engages community in renovation planning

Hennepin County Library hosted an open house at Sumner Library Monday, May 8, as part of a series of events to engage the public in the upcoming renovation project. These events gave residents an opportunity to view drawings and floor plans, and share their feedback.

In addition to hosting three open houses, more than 150 residents responded to patron surveys, and a special engagement session for youth was held. The number one takeaway from these community engagement efforts is that Sumner Library is a valued community space.

We heard you

At each step of the engagement process, the design for the renovated Sumner Library is updated. Hennepin County is committed to ensuring that the library reflects and responds to community needs now and into the future.

The most requested change in feedback received from the community is separate spaces for youth and adults. This request has influenced the new design. In response to this feedback, the historic side of the library will become the adult area and the 2004 addition will become the youth area (children and teen).

The second most requested change is additional space for smaller meetings and studying. This change is supported by meeting room usage statistics from January 2018 through May 2023 where more than 90% of meeting room usage was for groups of 20 or fewer.

Temporary service location

The University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center, located at Penn and Plymouth, will host a temporary space for some of Sumner’s services during the building closure. Staff are developing a service plan, but it is likely that Homework Help and Computer Assistance will be offered at the temporary space.

Project updates

Interested in receiving future updates on the project? Subscribe to the Sumner Library updates email list or visit the Sumner Library building project page.