MN+ Digital Collections Conference and Minnesota Digital Library Annual Meeting

The MN+ Digital Collections Conference and the Minnesota Digital Library Annual Meeting will be held jointly October 17-18, 2022. This year will be a hybrid format. The in-person portion will be held on Monday, October 17th at the Union Depot, 214 4th Street East, Saint Paul, MN  55101. The virtual day will be held on Tuesday, October 18th.

Registration

The registration options and fees are:

• $40.00, for the entire conference (October 17-18). Choose "Conference-only price" as the option when registering.
  or
• $10.00, for the virtual-only day (October 18th). Choose "Single-day price" as the option when registering.

Program Description and Keynotes

The theme of this year's conference is "Emergence." For staff working with digital collections, what are the challenges and opportunities that emerged during the pandemic? How are they still impacting your work? Did you begin a new project or initiative that is now flourishing? What has changed in your work and how are you balancing maintaining core programs with the new? Join your colleagues as we explore and discuss these questions.

Dr. Kirsten Delegard from the Mapping Prejudice project will open the program on October 17th (in-person day). Her talk is "Mapping Trust with Mapping Prejudice: How Libraries Foster Community-powered Research." The project illuminates how housing policies and practices have been used to construct racial inequalities over the last century, and uses digital tools to open up new avenues for policy making, scholarship, and community dialogue.

John Garrison Marks, Director of the Public History Research Lab at the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), will keynote the virtual day of the conference on October 18th. His presentation title is "Reframing History: Communicating an Inclusive Vision of the Past." Amid ongoing national controversy, it is more important than ever for history professionals—from museums to archives to universities—to be able to clearly explain why history is, how we come to understand the past, and why it matters to society. "Reframing History" offers new insights on how we can most effectively articulate to our audiences why an honest, inclusive vision of the past matters for all of us.

Watch Party

Minitex is hosting a watch party for a limited group of registered attendees on the virtual day of the MN+ Digital Collections Conference and MDL Annual Meeting on October 18th. We will be making a group of meeting rooms available at our offices in 60 Wilson Library, University of Minnesota's West Bank campus, for conference participants to watch the keynote and virtual sessions together. Doors will open at 8:30 and watch party guests are welcome to stay until the conference closes at 3:00. Lunch will not be provided, but attendees may wish to arrange for lunch as a group at a local restaurant.

Capacity is limited, so if you are interested in attending this informal watch party (free with conference registration), please sign up using this form.

Questions

If you have questions, contact planning committee co-chairs Sara Ring (Continuing Education Librarian, Minitex) and Molly Huber (Outreach Coordinator, Minnesota Digital Library), at mndcc@umn.edu. 

COVID-19 Conference Protocols

The community COVID-19 level is currently low in Ramsey County, Minnesota. We will continue to track the latest health and safety guidance for large event gatherings from the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health. The following conference guidelines are subject to change.

• We strongly recommend attendees wear a mask at the conference, except while presenting or while eating or drinking.
• All attendees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
• Hand sanitizer will be available at the registration table and in each breakout room
• Colored stickers on name badges that indicate the preferred level of interaction

We have adopted these additional recommendations from the Minnesota Department of Health: 

• Before the conference, check the CDC's community level tool at COVID-19 by County to see the COVID-19 community level for Ramsey County, Minnesota. 
• Avoid high-risk activities (large indoor events) for at least two weeks before the conference
• If you are sick with symptoms common for COVID-19, do not attend the conference
• Wear a well-fitting mask
• Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer frequently

If you are at high risk for getting sick from COVID-19, consider attending the virtual day of the conference. Visit the Minitex events cancellation and refund policy for more information.

Code of Conduct

Conference attendees are required to abide by the University of Minnesota Code of Conduct. The MN+ DCC and MDL Annual Meeting seeks a variety of opinions, voices, and perspectives at our conference. We encourage participation from people of all races, ethnicities, genders, ages, abilities, religions, and sexual orientations. We strive to create an inclusive and respectful conference experience, inviting diverse perspectives and opinions.

Planning Committee

• Greta Bahnemann
  Minitex/Minnesota Digital Library, (Minneapolis, MN)
• Beth Goodrich
  American Craft Council (Minneapolis, MN)
• Molly Huber (Co-Chair)
  Minitex/Minnesota Digital Library (Minneapolis, MN)
• Aurora Jacobsen
  Stillwater Public Library (Stillwater, MN)
• Ellen Lynch
  Lake County Historical Society (Two Harbors, MN)
• Dave Muhlena
  National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (Cedar Rapids, IA)
• Sara Ring (Co-Chair)
  Minitex (Minneapolis, MN)
• Matt Tallant 
  North Dakota State University (Fargo, ND)
• Kelly Thompson
  Augustana University (Sioux Falls, SD)

More About the MN+ Digital Collections Conference

The MN+ Digital Collections Conference (MN+DCC) grew out of the long-standing Upper Midwest Digital Collections Conference (UMDCC). As in 2020, the 2022 conference includes the Minnesota Digital Library annual meeting. MN+DCC provides opportunities for digital collections creators and curators in the region and beyond to network, share best practices, participate in hands-on workshops, and learn from leaders in digital cultural heritage.

Minitex staff, along with a regional planning committee, are the primary organizers of the MN+ Digital Collections Conference. 

More About the Minnesota Digital Library 

The Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) supports discovery and education through access to unique digital collections shared by cultural heritage organizations from across the state of Minnesota. Our contributors include over 200 libraries, historical societies, museums, and archives. Each year, MDL offers a conference at which MDL participants, partners, and interested professionals gather to learn about the MDL, what the collaborative is currently doing, and to attend sessions on a variety of topics such as best practices (scanning, preservation, metadata), teaching approaches, sharing MDL projects, technical skills, and more.