Hennepin County Library event receives national recognition from Urban Libraries Council
- January 29, 2026
The annual Innovations Initiative from the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) recently recognized Hennepin County Library with an Honorable Mention for the 2025 Coming Home Reentry Resource Fair event.
ULC's annual Innovations Initiative showcases out-of-the-box thinking and successful library programs that revolutionize the field.
"We’re deeply honored to receive this recognition for our Coming Home event from the Urban Libraries Council," said Robin Turnblom, Hennepin County Library Coming Home event coordinator. "We want justice-impacted residents to know that the library is a place where they can connect with information and community resources to help them achieve their aspirations."
The Coming Home Reentry Resource Fair event was produced in collaboration with Twin Cities R!SE, an organization whose unique career and personal empowerment trainings have helped justice-impacted individuals achieve meaningful employment and financial stability for over 30 years. The fair aimed to reduce barriers to employment, technology, and basic needs for justice-impacted individuals – especially those who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color. The fair also provided attendees with the opportunity to meet fair chance employers, enroll in free job training programs, build skills during workshops on personal growth and interview preparation, receive one-on-one job support, and connect with 30 community resource providers in the areas of housing, healthcare, childcare, low-cost computers, internet, phones, and more. The event demonstrated how libraries can center the voices of justice-impacted people and empower them to achieve their own aspirations.
"The Coming Home Reentry Resource Fair event greatly exceeded our expectations with more than 300 people and 28 community organizations participating to connect justice-impacted people with resources for technology and employment," shared Martha Hardy, Hennepin County Library Coming Home event coordinator. "It included a panel discussion, workshops, and individual job searching and criminal expungement consultations."
"Our hope is that Coming Home participants will return to the library with their families to participate in everything the library has to offer," Martha added. "The library is for everyone."
Upcoming event
Hennepin County Library will host its next Coming Home Reentry Resource Fair at Minneapolis Central Library on April 14, 2026. The event will again be produced in collaboration with Twin Cities R!SE. A new partnership this year with Westwood Community Church will enable the team to bring more fair chance employers and expand individual job search consultations.