South St. Paul Library to close Dec. 1, new library set to open in 2024

With a new library set to open in South St. Paul early next year, the city will close the old library next month.

Starting Dec. 1, the library located at the corner of Third Avenue North and Marie Avenue will close so that books and equipment can be moved to the new building.

While an opening date hasn’t yet been set for the new Kaposia Library — located at the corner of Seventh Avenue North and Marie Avenue, just four blocks west of the old building — the city says a grand opening will be scheduled in early 2024.

In the time between the old library’s closing and the new building’s opening, residents will be able to pick up holds and return items at a temporary location at Central Square Community Center. The center’s lobby will be open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

The Kaposia Library project has been in the works for several years, with design and public input starting back in 2021. Construction on the new library building started last fall, and exterior work was slated to finish up last month, leaving just the interior work, which is on track to be wrapped up before the end of the year, the city says.

The new library will feature newer amenities as well as more places to read, meet or study, a large community meeting room, several conference rooms with audio-visual technology, study rooms and a reading garden.

The new library will also be part of the Dakota County system instead of being operated by the city, as the old library had been for around a century, the city says.

When it opens, the Kaposia Library will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Wednesdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays.