Before the digital age, libraries were the primary form of research for high school students. Now, among teenagers, they seem to have become almost obsolete. But, while it seems only baby boomers frequently visit libraries, they have a lot to offer high school students today. Aside from the abundance of books for recreational reading, there are many of the aforementioned research resources as well, which can help add an extra element to a research project or paper. Libraries are also a free, quiet place to simply do homework. Throughout the Twin Cities, and close to St. Paul Academy and Summit School, there are many public libraries to visit. 

Highland Park Library

This is the closest library to SPA at 1.3 miles away. It has a special teen book section, as well as a teen meeting room on the first floor. There isn’t much for reference books, but the foreign language resources are abundant. The library is in the same building as the Highland recreation center, but the actual library itself is pretty small, but it’s seldom busy on a weeknight, so it would be a good place to go to just study.

Merriam Park Library

This is the smallest of the three libraries, and it is the second closest to SPA at 1.7 miles away. It’s normally not very busy. There is a section dedicated to children’s, teen’s, and regular nonfiction and fiction books. They have computers for public use, as well as small quiet study rooms that hold two people each. It is a very traditional library in terms of architecture and layout.

Minneapolis Central Library

This is the farthest away from SPA, but it’s the largest library in Minnesota with 4 floors of resources. According to Minneapolis librarian of 30 years Mary Linden, there are over 3 million items altogether, 1 million of which are archives and reference resources. Not only does this library have an unrivaled collection of items, it also has a Dunn Brothers, a teenagers-only sound studio, and an art gallery featuring local artists.