Bemidji Public Library Joins Statewide 'Libraries Read Together' Event | Lakeland News
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The Bemidji Public Library has joined a statewide initiative known as "Libraries Read Together," transforming the simple act of reading into a powerful demonstration of community support across Minnesota. This event marks the second year of the program, which originally launched in 2025 under the name "Great Northstar Read Together" before expanding its scope and adopting a new title to include libraries throughout the state. The primary objective is not merely to encourage people to read for an afternoon, but to reinforce the idea that libraries remain vital shared spaces built on access, connection, and community engagement. By gathering to read favorite books, participants are bridging generational gaps and sharing knowledge between older and younger generations while celebrating the enduring relevance of these institutions.
Library leaders emphasize that their role extends far beyond providing books, viewing libraries instead as essential bastions of democracy that have democratizing effects on society. The event aims to remind the public that libraries serve a capital "P" public interest and are woven into the fabric of an appreciative and flourishing community. Organizers highlight that while a good book can transport readers anywhere, opening one in Bemidji also connects local readers with people across America. This perspective shifts the view of libraries from static repositories of books to dynamic resources that offer diverse services such as AI training, workshops, computer access, magazines, and specialized collections like manga for children, ensuring they remain useful and connected to the populations they serve.
Visitors to the Bemidji Public Library during this event had the opportunity to sign up for library cards, further integrating themselves into the local network of resources. The celebration underscores a broader message that keeping libraries relevant is crucial for their continued utility and connection to the people they support. As part of a nonprofit news organization's coverage, Lakeland News reported on how this statewide effort brings information and knowledge together, fostering a sense of unity among Minnesotans who utilize these public spaces. Ultimately, the event serves as a testament to the library's evolving identity as a central hub for learning, technology, and social interaction that is indispensable to modern life.
Read the full video transcript
Minnesota libraries are coming together
through the simple act of reading.
Reporter Ryan Fleming shows us how Baiji
is taking part in the statewide
celebration. Across Minnesota, libraries
are turning reading into a statewide
show of support. At the Baiji Public
Library, people stopped in to take part
and library leaders say their role
reaches beyond the books.
>> Libraries are bastions in my mind of
democracy and have democratizing effects
on the different services and all
different types of people that use them.
So, I think it's good to to and
necessary to support the libraries and
and this is a great event to do things
like that.
>> This is only the second year for the
statewide event. It launched in 2025 as
the Great Northstar Read Together before
taking on a new name this year and
expanding the focus to libraries across
Minnesota. I think that it is a great
way to bring
information and knowledge from older
generations to younger generations um by
sitting and reading favorite books that
their grandparents had.
>> The idea is simple, get people reading,
but organizers say the bigger goal is
reminding people that libraries are
still shared spaces built across access,
connection, and community. A good book
can take you just about anywhere, but
opening one in Baiji is also connecting
readers to people across America. For
me, it's it's a resource to serve the
capital P, capital I public interest.
And um you know, libraries again, I
think they're are the part of the
they're part of the fabric of an
appreciative, flourishing community. So
the fact that um people would see them
as a resource and utilize them more as a
resource. For those taking part, the
message is bigger than one afternoon of
reading. It's about keeping libraries
relevant, useful, and connected to the
people they serve.
>> Modern library has so much more than
maybe what you might think it offers,
whether it's, you know, AI uh training
or workshops or computers or books or
magazines. You know, big focus on manga
for the kids.
>> Reporting in Baiji, I'm Ryan Fleming,
Lakeland News. The Bamiji Libraries Read
Together event was also part of a
statewide effort with libraries across
Minnesota taking part. Visitors here
could also sign up for a library card
while they were in.
>> Lakeland News is a nonprofit news
organization. Donate to Lakeland PBS
today to support your local news team.