After more than a year of planning, the Northfield Public Library Oasis has opened in the Northfield Community Resource Building.
Northfield Director of Library Services Natalie Draper said the library extension opened quietly last month without much fanfare. But it is up and running and offers most of the same amenities as the downtown library. Staffing is still being worked out, she said, but that isn’t as much of a concern as one would think.
“The space is designed to be full service when it is staffed, and to be usable when it’s not staffed. Those are the open plus hours. If somebody isn’t at the desk, you can still use the computers. There are instructions for how to log in on your own. You can print, you can fax, copy, scan. You can check out the books. You can hang out. You can use the space for work and play.”
The NCRC building was selected as the Oasis location for a number of reasons. As the home to several important non-profit organizations including the Community Action Center, Healthy Community Initiative, Head Start and Fifty North, she said it makes sense for the library to join those other locations.
Draper said there is a movement to bring social work into libraries, or to move libraries closer to social services and public housing. Putting the Oasis in the NCRC building is co-locating human services with other services.
They are also thinking about people who have limited access to transportation, she said, leaving many in that area in a “library desert.” Hence the term “Oasis.”
Although the extension has a much smaller collection of about 1000 books, library patrons can ask to have their library holds delivered to the oasis from the main library, where they will be placed in a hold locker. Users will also be able to check out books on their own when staff members are not present.
This location could be the first of more satellite locations as well, Draper said she and her staff are excited to show what a smaller space like this can offer.
District is offering resources for the community to learn about the high school facility issues
The Northfield School Board will meet in a special work session this afternoon to further discuss the problems with the Northfield high school, and how best to deal with them. The Board has debated for some time now whether to ask the district taxpayers for money to resolve the situation, either through renovation or the construction of a new school, by putting a referendum on the November 2024 election ballot.
The board is making a concerted effort to address the general public about the issue. The debate over what to do, after all, is pointless unless the community understands what it is the district might ask from them and why it is asking.
To that end, the district is offering scheduled tours of the facility itself. Both Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann, and School Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez George have said it is important for as many people in the community as possible to see firsthand what the problems are in the building. Gonzalez George has said people need to feel the temperature issues within the school. Hillmann has discussed the lack of natural light in many of the classrooms. Both have talked about the antiquated learning spaces in the original section of the building that opened in 1966.
Hillmann said while the debate has been ongoing, he has had conversations with those who wonder why the district is asking for a large project like this, and those are some of the questions he hopes the tour will address.
“There have been a few people reach out to me saying, ‘Oh, you’ve already decided.’ I will tell you there’s nothing further from the truth. There has been no decision made. This is a dilemma. It’s a struggle for people because there are a number of ways that you could address these problems. There are a lot of opinions, and we need to hear them. But we need you to come to a tour so that you’re speaking with firsthand knowledge of the problems that we’re trying to solve.”
The education campaign has been put in place, Hillmann said, not to sell the project to the community, but to offer the resources that are necessary so community members can formulate an educated opinion about the situation. Hillmann has said several times that, while he feels doing nothing about the school is not the right solution, in fact it is not a solution at all, it is an option that is on the table.He insists that not only has no decision been made about how to proceed forward, but he is inviting those who do not feel a major renovation project, let alone the construction of a new high school is necessary, to voice those opinions. But it is important for people to formulate an opinion like that after they are shown the things the district is concerned about.
“Skepticism is okay. In fact, we need skeptics to come out and we need them to challenge and to help us. And we also need people who are really passionate about finding a comprehensive solution, and a potential way to solve the problems to come out so we can have this community discussion. And then the elected representatives of our district can hear that, taking all of this complex information in and try to determine the best pathway forward.”
Tours of the high school are scheduled for December 12th, January 20th, and February 3rd. The district is also making a tour of the new Owatonna High School available this coming Saturday. Today’s work session will be held in the high school media center at 5:30pm. It will not be videoed or live streamed, but the general public is invited to attend.
St. Olaf coach wins championship in first season
The St. Olaf College Men’s Soccer team won the 2023 Division III National Championship yesterday with a 2-1 overtime victory over Amherst College. This is the first National Championship for the men’s soccer program, and the second National Championship overall, joining the Men’s Cross-Country team who won the National Championship in 2013.
After a scoreless first half, Amherst Forward Luke Ohadike scored in the 48th minute of the match to give his team a 1-0 lead. Hakeem Morgan scored in the 61st minute to tie the score. Casey McCloskey’s goal 68 seconds into overtime put the Ole’s on top for good and sealed National Championship.
The victory gives Head Coach Justin Oliver a National Championship in his first season as head coach of the program.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
