‘This has never been just about books’: East Side rallies around Dayton’s Bluff Library

The Dayton’s Bluff Library, located inside Metro State University on St. Paul’s East Side, is proposed for closure as part of Mayor Kaohly Her’s plan to address a $26 million city budget gap. Photo: Becca Gilbuena

For Tanika Lewis, the Dayton’s Bluff Library in St. Paul is more than a place to check out books.

It is a place where she takes her 5-year-old to play and socialize, where they can spend time during cold Minnesota winters without spending money, and where they can print school papers and borrow books and tablets.

Lewis and her family recently moved to Dayton’s Bluff from Burnsville, and she had hoped the neighborhood library would become a regular part of their lives.

Now, she is worried the library will close before they have a chance to make it their second home.

“It is sad to think that the community has given up on building literacy, community support and imaginative play for the children of Dayton’s Bluff,” Lewis said. “Taking away that proximity to the library instead of finding new ways to bring them to the library is dismal.”

The proposed closure of the Dayton’s Bluff Library has become one of the most contentious elements of Mayor Kaohly Her’s plan to address a $26 million city revenue gap. The St. Paul Public Library Board is scheduled to review the proposed budget Sept. 2, and the City Council is expected to approve a final city budget in December.

Dayton’s Bluff is the only St. Paul public library proposed for closure under the mayor's budget plan and no other library branches are proposed for reduced hours.

City Council member Cheniqua Johnson, who represents Ward 7 and serves as council budget chair, said she was opposed to the closure when she first heard about it and remains opposed. She said it's important for the community to weigh in.

“When you're proposing closing down a community asset, the only people who can save that asset are the people who live here,” said Johnson. “The more people that are engaging in the budget process overall, the more reflective the budget can be of what the city of St. Paul residents actually want to see. And a lot of people don't want to see cuts to their libraries if their taxes are going up."

The city has told Johnson that the lease at Metro State University, where the library is located, is a major factor in the proposal. The lease is projected to cost about $141,000 in 2027, compared with $138,000 this year.

Mayor Her said the proposal is about the cost of operating the building, not the library employees.

“Every staff member currently at Dayton’s Bluff will keep their job and be reassigned to another library location,” Her said in a statement.

“Saint Paul is facing difficult financial choices, and I have a responsibility to make sure we invest in a library system we can sustain for generations to come.”

But Johnson said residents have made clear to her that the value of the library cannot be measured only by its operating cost or circulation numbers.

“We've heard from kids, moms, dads, wives, teachers, educators, students, all kinds of people echoing the same thing,” Johnson said. “They want to know why this is being closed down because they've utilized the site library, they’ve checked out books at this library. They go there for computers to use the Wi-Fi, to do homework, to write reports.”

Tanika Lewis' 5-year-old playing at the library. Photo: Tanika Lewis

Lewis said her family used the Burnsville library regularly before moving to St. Paul. She said library access has helped her build a strong literacy foundation for her son.

“We borrow at least 20+ books and tablets a week,” Lewis said. “I work hard to provide my 5-year-old with a strong literacy foundation and it is alarming to think that our move to St. Paul will make it harder to provide that for him.”

Another resident who uses the library is an 11-year-old who wrote directly to Mayor Her asking her not to close it.

“Dayton's Bluff library is so close that I can bike and walk there with my family from my house,” the child wrote. “I love the library because I love to read and go to Fun Lab on Saturdays, and the librarians who work there are so nice.”

Johnson has framed the conversation as an issue of equity, particularly because Dayton’s Bluff is the only library proposed for closure. In a social media post, she said the library provides services that can be difficult to capture in a budget spreadsheet.

“This has never been just about books,” Johnson wrote. “It's the child who has a safe place to spend an afternoon. The resident who needs a computer and internet access to apply for a job. The family that can walk to the library because they don't have a second car. The teenager who needs somewhere to study. The family building childhood memories together. Taking that away from one of our city's most underserved and historically underinvested communities is not where we should be cutting.”

Mayor Her acknowledged the importance of libraries to residents but said the city needs to consider the costs of maintaining individual locations.

“Dayton’s Bluff Library has the system’s most expensive lease and is our least-used location,” Her said.

Johnson wants to find another way.

“I’m looking for viable alternatives because as budget chair, I don't want to propose a budget that cuts a library, not only in my Ward, but just in general,” Johnson said.

She also questioned whether the city has exhausted other potential sources of funding. Johnson pointed to what she described as a $9 million library fund balance and recent philanthropic support for Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, including a $1 million gift.

The library is not the only East Side community resource facing a proposed closure. The mayor’s budget plan also calls for closing two recreation centers: Highwood Hills Recreation Center in Johnson’s Ward 7 and Duluth and Case recreation centers in Ward 6.

Johnson is encouraging East Side residents to contact council members, library officials and Metro State leaders to share their experiences and propose alternatives.

A community meeting about the library is scheduled for Sept. 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Dayton’s Bluff Library on the third floor of Metro State’s building. Johnson said she plans to invite council members and other stakeholders to discuss the proposed closure and what the future of library services in Dayton’s Bluff could look like.

“I have no intentions of seeing it go away this soon,” Johnson said.