Great River Regional Library
multi-county public library system in the U.S. State of Minnesota
Great River Regional Library is a library system serving Benton,
Morrison, Sherburne,
Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties in central Minnesota. It is a consolidated library system consisting of 32 branch libraries, with a headquarters at the St. Cloud Public Library.
History
When the hotel which contained St. Cloud's reading room burned down in 1901, the community sought funding from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to build a library. They received $25,000 from Carnegie, along with an additional $2,000 from local railroad executive James J. Hill, and the St. Cloud Public Library opened in 1902. In 1969 the library expanded services to become the Great River Regional Library system. The current St. Cloud Public Library was built in 2008.
The public source identifies “Great River Regional Library” as multi-county public library system in the U.S. State of Minnesota. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Great, River and Regional.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Great River Regional Library”, the useful work is to connect “multi-county public library system in the U.S. State of Minnesota” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5599882. VIAF identifies the subject as 139613747. The Library of Congress control number is n85026115. Authority coordinates are 45.557, -94.167. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1901, 1902, 1969 and 2008.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Great River Regional Library”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Great River Regional Library primary sources, Great River Regional Library archive and Great research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Great River Regional Library”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Great River Regional Library” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.