Brainerd Public Library awarded state grant to expand computers, meeting space and storage

April Ristau, branch manager of the Brainerd Public Library and a representative of the Kitchigami Regional Library System, briefed the county on branch operations and an awarded Minnesota multipurpose community facilities grant to support community revitalization and equity.

Ristau said the Kitchigami system serves five counties and that Brainerd branch statistics in 2025 included about 22,000 registered users (about 11,000 from Crow Wing townships and 7,500 from the city of Brainerd), roughly 2,000 weekly visitors and about 3,200 weekly circulations.

"We anticipate the completion of the project for December 2026," Ristau told the board, describing plans to increase public computers from 7 to 16, enlarge a meeting room and install high‑density storage to preserve the branch footprint while expanding capacity.

She outlined additional services the branch offers, including mobile library stops to Nisswa, Bay Lake and Garrison, shared digital content through Hoopla and Cloud Library, Hublet stations that patrons can check out for video conferencing and new Bibliotheca lockers that let patrons retrieve holds outside normal hours.

Commissioners thanked Ristau and asked practical questions about the high‑density storage and partnerships. One commissioner suggested coordinating the summer reading program with Sourcewell's third‑grade reading initiative; Ristau welcomed partnership opportunities.

Ristau also noted the branch's summer reading participation figures from 2025 — 333 participants, 182 who completed reading challenges — and said the branch distributes physical books as awards.

The presentation was informational; the board did not record a vote in the transcript.