About Us

Viking Library System is a federated with central services regional public library system serving the six west central Minnesota counties of Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens and Traverse. First organized in 1975, it has eleven member libraries located in Alexandria, Browns Valley, Elbow Lake, Fergus Falls, Glenwood, Hancock, Morris, New York Mills, Pelican Rapids, Perham, and Wheaton.

VLS is one of four regional public library systems in Minnesota that is identified as a combination system. Combination systems have independent member libraries and also offer direct services to the public. Although local public libraries are members of the regional system, these independent city and county libraries retain local governance, seek local funding, hire local staff and determine local library expenditures. The regional library system both provides services to its member libraries and also receives county funds to provide direct services to the public in areas primarily outside of the member library communities. The system board is responsible for both region-wide services to the member libraries and for library services delivered directly to the public.

Mission

Vision—providing local access to the world

Viking Library System is a dynamic organization connecting our users and our member libraries to the world. In addition to continuing to provide the highest quality traditional library services, Viking Library System will serve as a catalyst for change in the following ways:

Viking Library System will

be a leader in customer responsiveness.
strive to increase the visibility of all services.
remain attuned to the future by responding appropriately to new technology.
seek to continuously improve all services by identifying and responding to both general and targeted audiences within the regional system.

History

Viking Library System (VLS) celebrated 50 years of service in 2025! Services have evolved and changed to meet community needs, but the mission to connect, promote, and strengthen library services in the six county region has remained the same.

Establishment

Established as a federated regional public library system, VLS signed its original charter in October of 1975, and the first Library Board meeting took place on November 4, 1975. The new system was temporarily named the West Central Regional Library System and was officially named the Viking Library System in June of 1977.

Otter Tail, Douglas, Stevens, and Grant counties were original signatories along with the following libraries: Fergus Falls Public Library, Alexandria Public Library, Hancock Community Library, Morris Public Library, and Thorson Memorial Library of Elbow Lake. The public libraries in Wheaton, Browns Valley, Glenwood, New York Mills, and Perham affiliated with the system in 1976. Pope County joined in 1981 and Traverse County in 1983. In 1986, the City of Pelican Rapids constructed a new library and became a member library upon the building's completion in 1988.

Early Services

The purpose of the regional library system was the extension and improvement of public library service in the region. The new Library Board set about creating a Plan of Services designed to accomplish the system's purpose by offering equal access to library service to residents across the region and by providing support services to member public libraries.

The original Plan of Services for the system included: enlarging print collections in each library, establishing bookmobile service, developing non-print collections, establishing interlibrary loan services, creating a reference service, ensuring adequate open hours at all libraries, providing library consultation by regional staff, providing regional training and workshops, and publicizing the new services.

The early days of Viking Library System were focused on establishing new services in many of the member libraries and expanding the same services in others. In addition, the system was concentrating on extending access to rural residents and people living in towns without libraries.

Over the years, services evolved and changed to meet the needs of residents and member library staff. Visit Services for a list of current services Viking Library System provides to member libraries, library patrons, child cares, and group homes.

Buildings and Bookmobiles

Viking Library System was headquartered in Fergus Falls upon establishment and has had two headquarter buildings in its 50 year history. Originally operating out of the basement of the Fergus Falls Public Library, VLS relocated to 204 North Cascade Avenue in 1977 and later to 1915 West Fir Avenue in 2010.

Grand opening of the new Viking headquarters building

Bookmobile service was set up even before the first full-time director was hired. The Governing Board was able to borrow, rent, or buy three bookmobiles in varying stages of repair and, as one of their first tasks, began to draw the routes that would cover all six counties. Shortly after the director was hired, the bookmobiles were on the road and a new vehicle was on order.

From 1999 to 2004, a smaller-sized Readmobile joined the fleet. It was designed for daycares and Head Starts with shorter shelving and colorful bulletin boards. The materials on the Readmobile were age-appropriate for babies to preschoolers. It housed a collection of stuffed animals and sometimes featured story times on the vehicle. The program was canceled due to lack of funding, but the materials were reused into a rotating outreach collection for daycares and Head Starts.