"The library will trial these hours for the next several months and will consider offering the additional time permanently if successful." The Pine and Lakes Echo Journal printed that line on May 28, 2026, when the Crosslake Area Library added a longer Saturday and a Thursday evening for the summer.
Those "several months" have passed. The boats are out, and the longer schedule is still the one the city lists. That matters more than it sounds, because it's only half of what the building on Daggett Pine Road offers. The Crosslake Area Library is a city library. Behind its circulation desk sits a separate regional system with its own card, its own catalog and its own digital lending, and that half has a change coming on January 1.
The summer schedule that never came down
The library is at 14126 Daggett Pine Rd., connected to the Crosslake Community Center. According to the Echo Journal, the trial added one hour on Saturdays starting May 30 and three hours on Thursdays starting June 4. The city's library page still posts those hours as the regular week, and the city's September 2026 newsletter lists them under "Expanded Library Access."
| Day | Posted hours, early November 2026 | Before the summer trial |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Thursday | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Saturday | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Sunday | Closed | Closed |
That works out to 37 open hours a week instead of 33. Thursday is now the only day the library is open after 4 p.m., which makes it the only weekday visit for anyone working a standard daytime shift.
The Echo Journal framed the change as a summer experiment for working families. The posted schedule now runs it into the first dark weeks of the off-season, when a 7 p.m. closing means the parking lot is lit by streetlights well before you leave. The city hasn't posted any holiday closures for Thanksgiving or Christmas yet. Before you plan around a holiday week, the desk number is 218-692-7323.
The second library behind the counter
Here's the part that surprises people with a Crosslake card. Kitchigami Regional Library System, the regional network that serves Crow Wing County, doesn't list Crosslake among its branches. The city's own page treats Kitchigami as a membership you add. You apply for a Kitchigami card by picking up an application at the Crosslake desk or applying online, then browse the Kitchigami catalog and wait for a notice that your request is ready to pick up in Crosslake.
Kitchigami cards are open to residents of its five counties, Crow Wing included. With one, you can borrow from its branches and use its online resources.
The two systems differ in size. The Crosslake Area Library holds more than 22,000 items: books, DVDs, audiobooks, newspapers and puzzles, plus wifi, computers and printing. Kitchigami brings regional holds to that same counter, plus a digital collection you can use from a cabin on a night when nothing is open. In practice, the city library is the building, the hours and the programs. Kitchigami's card is what opens most of the e-books.
If the app setup is the barrier, the city offers one-on-one help. Email [email protected] to book a time.
What changes on January 1
Kitchigami's digital library page, updated October 19, 2026, lists what the card currently unlocks:
- Cloud Library: downloadable e-books, e-audiobooks, magazines, video and comics
- BibliMag: digital magazines
- ELM: news, magazines, e-books and more
- Ebooks MN: Minnesota's statewide e-book collection for all ages
- hoopla: movies, music, e-books and more
The same page carries a notice in bold. Hoopla will be discontinued as of January 1, 2027, and will no longer be available through Kitchigami. Hoopla already ran on a shared, first-come, first-served subscription with a limited number of daily borrows across the whole region.
So for anyone who streams a movie or an audiobook through hoopla on winter evenings, the next eight weeks are the last stretch for it. Cloud Library and Ebooks MN stay on the list, and both run through the Kitchigami card.
Gear that goes out the same door
The city library's own collection now goes well past books, and some of it is built for the months when the lake isn't the default plan.
The Literacy Cart is the 2026 addition. It's funded by the library's Dollar General Literacy Foundation summer reading grant and holds books, games and learning tools for children at different reading stages, including phonics and whole-word materials.
The four Adventure Backpacks, themed Fishing, Nature, Bird Watching and Scavenger Hunt, come from a partnership with the Minnesota DNR, with funding from PAL. Each one includes a first aid kit, mosquito repellent, and guides for kids and adults. They aren't new. The Echo Journal covered them in August 2025.
The state park pass dates from that same 2025 rollout, and it may be the most useful item on the list. Through the Minnesota DNR's State Parks Library Program, patrons can check out a free seven-day pass that covers the vehicle entrance fee. You check it out in person, first come, first served, and display it on your dashboard. Camping isn't included. The city says the pass works at any state park or recreation area. The DNR lists Crow Wing State Park and Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area among them, and Cuyuna's DNR page says vehicle permits are required there. The library's newsletter notes that many state parks stay open all year. There's only one pass, so call ahead to see whether it's in before you drive over.
November at the desk
The library's upcoming events page has three November dates and nothing posted yet for December.
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.: "Help! I get too much email!" was the first computer class, on unsubscribing from inbox clutter.
- Tuesday, Nov. 10, 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.: "Help! How do I know if something is a scam?" covers spotting spam, basic online safety, password creation, and avoiding fake emails and pop-ups.
- Friday, Nov. 20, 2 p.m.: Ojibwe author, artist and educator Sam Zimmerman, Zhaawanoogiizhik, will talk about his bilingual children's books, which pair traditional stories with his own paintings.
These events fit the pattern of a library that programs all year. The fall lineup listed by librarian Karen Field also included a story time and book signing with local children's author Kelsey Dilly on Oct. 3, and pianist Debbie Center's Itty Bitty Camper Jams tour on Oct. 7, sponsored by Kitchigami through a Legacy grant. The Legacy-funded concert is the two systems working together. Kitchigami paid for the program, and the city library hosted it.
A small-gift counter for the holidays
The library also runs a gift shelf. Its Second Chance Book Sale is a "blind date with a book." Each donated, like-new title is hand-wrapped with a few hints on the cover and comes with a small journal, a pen, a beverage packet and stickers. Prices run $5 to $15, and some complete children's series are priced separately. Sales support the library, and there are choices for both kids and adults.
If you've cleaned out the cabin bookshelves this fall, the library asks for donations that are relatively new and in excellent condition. Bring them in during open hours, and don't leave them in the book drops, which are only for returning library items.
The order that makes the most of a visit
Taken together, here's the simplest way to use both libraries this winter. Go on a Thursday after work or on a Saturday, while the trial hours are still posted. Pick up a Kitchigami application at the same desk. Ask whether the state park pass is in. Request something from the Kitchigami catalog so it's waiting for you on your next visit. And if hoopla is part of your evenings, use it before January 1.
Brandon and Laura at the Pederson Team love the parts of Crosslake that keep running once the docks come out, and the library on Daggett Pine Road is one of them. If you're thinking about what a full year here looks like, from the Thursday-night library stop to the first ice on the chain, we'd be glad to talk it through. Schedule a Lakeside Consultation with us anytime.
