Olaf report on the library now available

Is the library economically, culturally, or socially important for the downtown area?

For a spring anthropology class, five students from St. Olaf collaborated on a survey of 32 different people from three groups: business owners, library patrons, and citizens of Northfield.

We conducted 32 interviews with business owners, community members, and library patrons in order to gain information about how they viewed the library in relation to downtown Northfield. These interviews revealed that the library contributes a great deal to the City Center community by acting as an “anchor” for the downtown area, serving as a meeting place for citizens, and providing a quality space that has a wealth of resources. The two main challenges for the library mentioned by interviewees included a lack of adequate parking and the need to keep up with technology.

You can click here to read the entire report via Google Documents.