The Rake Magazine

OK, let me see if I have this right. You published an article about the director of the St. Paul Public Library, and you made some errors, which you corrected and for which you apologized [Letters, October]. You could not fact-check the article, you say, because Minneapolis doesn’t have a reference librarian available on Sunday or Monday. Such a problem, and you would have my sympathy, but ...

On Sunday, from 1 to 5 p.m., you might have found answers at St. Paul Central, Highland Park, Rondo Community, St. Anthony, or Sun Ray. On Monday, various hours, all of the St. Paul branches, and the Central library, are open.

If St. Paul is a problem for some reason, you could try the Ramsey County system, where all branches are open on Monday and several on Sunday.

If St. Paul and Ramsey County give you the heebie-jeebies, you could try Hennepin, where the Ridgedale library is open on Sunday and all branches are open on Monday.

I grant you, you might not find a bona fide reference librarian at each of these libraries at any given time, but a few phone calls could probably have tracked one down.

I love the Minneapolis Central Library, but limiting yourself to Minneapolis for library services is just that: limiting.


Editor's note: Ellen, we’re surprised you didn’t mention all the other excuses we proffered for our complete lack of fact-checking that article. We also said the sun was in our eyes. If you really wanted to be helpful, you could have also offered us a list of stores that sell hats.