MARSHALL — The local library isn’t only a place to find books — in Minnesota, library patrons can also gain free access to state parks.

This week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced that it was expanding its library park pass program. The statewide program offers seven-day park passes that can be checked out from participating public libraries. Effective July 1, the DNR said the number of participating libraries and the number of park passes available to check out have more than doubled.

The Marshall-Lyon County Library is one of several area libraries that has state park passes available to check out, said MLCL Public Services Manager Paula Nemes. MLCL has been part of the park pass program since it was launched in 2021.

“It gets used a lot, especially at certain times of year,” Nemes said. “This year, we got an additional pass.”

With the additional pass, there are a total of three park passes available to check out at MLCL, plus one each available at the Balaton and Cottonwood libraries, Nemes said.

The DNR’s web page for the state parks library program lists several area libraries as participants in the program. In Lyon County, the MLCL and the Minneota Public Library are both participating in the program. The list includes the Tyler, Ivanhoe and Lake Benton public libraries in Lincoln County; the Fulda and Slayton public libraries in Murray County; the Lamberton, Morgan and Redwood Falls public libraries in Redwood County; and the Canby and Granite Falls public libraries in Yellow Medicine County.

The New Ulm Public Library is among the newest additions to the program. Although the library didn’t qualify in 2021 due to the city’s median income level, changes to the program’s eligibility opened the door this year.

“They expanded it to include libraries near public state parks, and because we’re so close to Flandrau State Park, we now qualify,” said April Ide, New Ulm Public Library director. “We’re really excited to participate.”

Nemes said the state park passes available to check out at MLCL are seven-day passes, good for park admission, but not for camping or additional rentals. The passes can be used at any state park. If library patrons bring a park pass back early, MLCL can check out the remaining time on the pass to a different person, she said.

“We try to promote (the program), especially in winter,” Nemes said. There are things to see and do at state parks year-round, she said. In addition to promoting the library park pass program, MLCL also has state park maps to help library patrons find opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.

— Jared Winter contributed to this story.