By Scott Carlson
The St. Anthony Park Library will temporarily close April 7 through mid-June for needed repairs and maintenance to both of the building entrances.
In a recent news release, library officials said the repairs are necessary to ensure the building is safely accessible to all patrons.
“The lower-level entrance does not meet accessibility standards due to the steep slope of walkway,” said library spokeswoman Rebecca Ryan. “Additionally, water collects at the base of the walkway near the building and, at times, enters the building’s lower level. The stairs to the main entrance need routine maintenance and repair.”
Money for the project is being provided by the City of St. Paul’s Capital Improvement Budget.
While the SAP library is temporarily closed, patrons can visit any library in St. Paul, including nearby Rondo Community and Merriam Park libraries. Starting April 7, Merriam Park Library will open at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Any items checked out when the SAP library closes on April 7 will have their return date extended to June 30, 2025.
For the moment, St. Anthony Park is not an option to select when choosing a location to pick up your holds, library officials said. Pick-up locations can be changed or holds suspended by logging into your account at sppl.org.
No used book sale, but SAP Arts Festival still on
One major impact due to the library’s closing: The SAP annual library used book sale, which was scheduled for June 7, has been cancelled.
“We greatly regret not being able to hold our annual used book sale this year,” said Rita La Doux, chairperson of the SAP Branch Library Association board. “But the logistics of moving this event to another venue: the months-long book collection and pre-sorting, the physical set-up that takes about 40 volunteers over a full week in the library auditorium, and finding a location that would allow us to take over their space for all that time, makes it too much of a challenge to move the sale to another location.
“SAPBLA looks forward to holding the next book sale in June 2026,” La Doux said.
However, the annual SAP Arts Festival will be held at the library grounds on Saturday, June 7.
“We are making a few adjustments of booth placement, but Festival Director Anna Gaseitsiwe is confident there will be little disruption to the Arts Festival,” La Doux said. “A few artists booths will be relocated for this year.”
The music stage on the library lawn will be in the usual location on June 7, and the library association will have a booth to welcome Arts Fest attendees
Scott Carlson is managing editor of the Bugle
Photo captions
Entrances at the St. Anthony Park Branch Library are among items that will be repaired while the buildling is closed for several weeks untill sometime in June. Photos by Janet Wight.
The St. Anthony Park Library is an Andrew Carnegie facility that dates back to 1917. Photo by Janet Wight.