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Connecting Bloomington to the world
A world of information is available online and at two Bloomington locations of the Hennepin County Library system.
Hennepin County Library consists of 41 libraries in Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin County. The library system is a national award winner for innovative government programs and is recognized as one of the top library systems in the United States.
Hennepin County Library offers approximately 5 million books, CDs, DVDs, downloadables and other resources in more than a dozen world languages, plus access to more than 1,900 computers. Library cards are free and patrons may sign up for them at local libraries and online. With a library card, patrons can check out and request materials from any of the 41 libraries, plus other public libraries in the seven-county metro area.
Hennepin County Library’ s website offers 24 / 7 access to the library catalog, online databases, audio and video downloads, eBooks, job and small business resources and web pages for children, teens and new immigrants.
Outreach Services provides library service for people who are unable to go to a library due to disability, mobility issues or confinement in county correctional facilities.
Oxboro Library is a popular destination for students as well as the diverse Bloomington community. The library’ s collection of books, DVDs, CDs and magazines includes materials
in Spanish, Vietnamese and Somali. Staff members assist patrons in finding resources for learning a new language, working toward citizenship, applying for college, finding housing or a job, researching a business opportunity or a vacation destination and many other information needs.
Penn Lake Library serves residents from nearby Edina, Richfield and Eden Prairie as well as Bloomington patrons. Multicultural patrons who attend nearby Metro South Adult Basic Education ESL and general education classes stop in to use the Spanish, Russian and Vietnamese language collections and citizenship resources.
Oxboro Library opened in 1975 and was renovated in 2004. It closed in 2018 for a second renovation, which included replacing heating and air conditioning systems, updating the lighting and shelving and creating more open space for reading, meetings, toddlers and teens. The project was completed in 2019.
More information at hclib. org.
Oxboro Library 8801 Portland Ave. S. 612-543-5775
Penn Lake Library 8800 Penn Ave. S. 612-543-5800
BLOOMINGTON | COMMUNITY GUIDE | 2025 | 21