With so many libraries about to be replaced or closed for renovation--including the main ones in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul--we thought we'd highlight a small community gem. Located in a diverse working-class neighborhood in south Minneapolis, the Hosmer Community Library was given a massive overhaul and expansion in 1996 with the aid of hundreds of thousands of public and private dollars. It is now a delightful, sunny oasis, with a surprisingly large collection of CDs, educational videos, and juvenile nonfiction, a charming, intimate children's room, and plenty of comfy chairs in which to while away an afternoon. Downstairs in the busy technology center, a bevy of computers helps close the digital divide, and a community meeting room is likewise almost always occupied. The assortment of smiling faces and concentrated minds at work and play that you see during a trip to Hosmer makes it an aesthetically, educationally, and financially satisfying experience--our tax dollars, for a change, well spent.