The library housed the largest collection of Scandinavian books, newspapers, and magazines within the system, which reflected the population living in the area.

The library was funded by the Carnegie Corporation and designed by Edward Lippincott Tilton, a New York City architect.

Public art at the Franklin branch includes Robert DesJarlait's Red Lake,[8] a large mosaic above the east fireplace.

DesJarlait, a member of the Anishinabe Ojibwe nation, uses pictographs to tell a story within his work, honoring the traditional ways of storytelling within the Native American community.

Additionally, it honors the March 2005 death of ten people on the Red Lake Reservation in northwestern Minnesota.

Titled World Language, the piece celebrates the globe's seven continents by including petroglyphs, pictographs and ancient symbols from each.

[11] Today, the collection reflects the languages spoken in the homes of the community it serves, including Arabic, Ojibwe, Oromo, Somali, and Spanish.

[13] Originally designed by architect Edward L. Tilton,[14] who specialized in libraries, the structure had served the community but needed significant attention.

[15] During construction, the library used a building next door to provide continuity of service on a reduced capacity to patrons.