Woodbury Council Hears Library Update

What’s the No. 1 question asked of staffers at the Woodbury library?

Where’s the bathroom?

No. 2? What type of e-reader should I buy?

Those were a couple interesting nuggets laid out by Chad Lubbers, manager of the , during a presentation at Wednesday night’s Woodbury City Council meeting.

Washington County libraries recently began . People can “check them out” through the library’s website for one- two- or three-week periods, Lubbers said. There are about 500 titles now available through the program, he said. (When asked by Councilman Paul Rebholz which type of e-reader he should buy, Lubbers chuckled and declined to give his opinion.)

The library—which Lubbers said is the 11th or 12th most-used library in the state—actually saw its usage decline in 2010. The reduction in visitors and items checked out was likely due to summer hours being cut, he said.

Still, the library had about 40,000 visitors a month during the summer of 2010, Lubbers said. The library also got more than 4,700 hours of work from volunteers, which translates to more than $100,000 in value to the library, he said, adding that the facility “wouldn’t be what it is today” without them.

New in 2010 at the library were financial and computer classes (such as Twitter 101), new language tools and science-themed story time events run in conjunction with the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Initiatives for this year include more computer classes, online and in-person resources for job seekers and the ongoing celebration of the sesquicentennial of the during the Civil War.

In other action, the council:

• approved a wine and beer license for the on Eagle Creek Lane. No one spoke during a public hearing on the matter.
• proclaimed April 30 Arbor Day in the city of Woodbury. Volunteers will plant more than 300 trees in the city on Saturday. (Woodbury Patch will be volunteering.)
• heard from City Administrator Clint Gridley that 3,500-3,800 people attended the , where the city had two booths set up to give residents information about various aspects of the city.
• approved the consent agenda, though Councilman Christopher Burns asked for an item regarding steps in the Courtly Road rehabilitation project be pulled for discussion and a separate vote. He wanted some clarification on assessments for the work. The item ultimately passed 5-0.