Central Library unveils a free space where people can meet
On June 24th, 2013 the new Otto Bremer Community Room was officially unveiled to a small group by Library Director Kit Hadley and Otto Bremer Foundation Trustee Brian Lipschultz. The Community Room was made possible by a grant from the Bremer Foundation through the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, which paid for a $250,000 remodel. The Otto Bremer Foundation is one of the largest foundations in Minnesota and was established in 1944 by Otto Bremer, a banker and philanthropist.
Boasting new technological resources and accommodations for up to 70 people, the new room is free to use for nonprofits. For-profits can rent the room at $50 per hour with a $25 reservation fee.
Below is an excerpt by Mary Ann Grossmann from the Pioneer Press
“Opening this room is a dream come true. There aren’t many spaces like this,” director Hadley said as she showed off new shelves and counter tops. Formerly exposed plumbing has been hidden, and carpeting replaces old tile that made the space noisy. There’s up-to-date audio-visual equipment, and furniture on wheels allows the space to be configured in different ways. An adjacent catering kitchen has been brought up to prep standards.
“The public demand for meeting spaces in libraries is huge, and we were desperate for space,” Hadley said. “This is a 90,000-square-foot library, and our only meeting room is on the fourth floor. People wanted to use it and we had to turn them down because it was spoken for.”
Hadley expects the Bremer Room to be used for training sessions, lectures and meetings of book clubs and other organizations. Food can be brought in or prepared on-site, and liquor can be served depending on library hours.
Bremer trustee Brian Lipschultz says the foundation partners with Friends of the St. Paul Public Library because “helping libraries as areas of literacy and learning is critical to the foundation’s mission of building healthy communities.”