Our Vision

Great River Regional Library will be the recognized source of knowledge and information in the community as well as an integral part of its cultural life.

GRRL users will find:

  • An encompassing collection that will entertain, inspire and enlighten
  • Access to global information resources
  • High technology applications
  • High quality programs for all ages
  • A highly motivated and helpful staff

Our Mission

Great River Regional Library (GRRL) develops, organizes and makes available to the public a useful collection of books and information resources.

GRRL provides:

  • Free access to community focused services for a diverse population
  • Assistance and guidance in utilizing those services and materials
  • Lifelong learning opportunities

GRRL serves

a population of over 400,000 residents, with over 115,000 registered borrowers in a 5,000 square mile area of central Minnesota.

GRRL member signatories include:

Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright counties.

GRRL has branch libraries in 32 cities:

Albany, Annandale, Becker, Belgrade, Big Lake, Buffalo, Clearwater, Cokato, Cold Spring, Delano, Eagle Bend, Elk River, Foley, Grey Eagle, Howard Lake, Kimball, Little Falls, Long Prairie, Melrose, Monticello, Paynesville, Pierz, Richmond, Rockford, Royalton, St. Cloud, St. Michael, Sauk Centre, Staples, Swanville, Upsala, and Waite Park. We invite you to visit your branch library soon!

Library Services

The library is the information center for your community. The library staff is delighted to help you locate nearly any kind of information through internal and external resources located throughout the country.

Materials available at your library include:

Of course we have books including nonfiction, reference, fiction (including best sellers and popular reading), young adult, children's, and large print. But we also make magazines, newspapers, audiobooks on cassette and on compact disc, spoken word cassette kits (book/tape), compact discs, videos, downloadable audio books, databases and much more available.

Library Cards:

People living in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, and Wright counties are eligible for a free library card. Apply for a library card by filling out this form, and then presenting identification with current address information at your local branch. Your GRRL card can be used in virtually any Minnesota public library. It’s the most important card you’ll ever get for free!

Services provided by your librarian include:

information assistance, business services, telephone directories, book selection advice, requests, inter-library loan, tours, children's programs.

GRRL is funded by

Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties, with additional funding from local, state and federal grants such as the Library Services and Technology Act, as well as contributions from individuals and organizations.

We at GRRL look forward to hearing from you.

Please call or write with questions and comments. Please tell us what we’re doing right and how we can improve your library experiences! We can be contacted at:

Great River Regional Library
405 W. St. Germain
St. Cloud, MN 56301
(320) 650-2500

If you’d like to tell us about the services and materials we provide, please feel free to use our feedback form. If you want to ask a reference question, please use our Ask a Librarian service. You can also request a title we don’t own in the Great River Regional Library Collection by using our Suggest a Title form.

GRRL Friends of the Library

Many communities in the GRRL region have Friends groups. Please contact your local branch library for information about Friends groups in your area.

Volunteering With GRRL

Most of the libraries within the GRRL system use volunteers either regularly or on occasion. In some libraries, volunteers currently help put books on the shelf, call library users to let them know materials they have requested are now available, and read stories to children. The branch manager will be happy to talk to you about the need for volunteers at your local library. If you wish to volunteer at your local library, please print out the volunteer application form, complete it and turn it in at your local library or the where you wish to volunteer. After consideration of your application, the library branch manager will notify you of the available volunteer opportunities.

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Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve you! We’re Your Library!