by Zach Miller
Quick Summary
The second annual Minitex Connect starts next Tuesday and wraps up the following day. Along the way, attendees will hear from Minnesota's Commissioner of Higher Education and two incredible keynote speakers, storyteller Laura Packer and IMLS Senior Program Officer James Neal. Additional highlights include sessions on empowering youth, resource sharing, equitable hiring practices, and an update from the Office of the Secretary of State on changes to voting rights signed into law just last month. Registration is FREE, and closes Monday. Register today!
Nearly 300 of your library colleagues have already registered for this year's Minitex Connect. Join them by registering today.
Doing so gets you access to 27 sessions spread over two half days, the first in the morning and the second in the afternoon. We created this schedule to accommodate our busy colleagues at libraries, schools, and cultural heritage organizations. We want to make it easier for you to join us. If you can't make it the first day, we hope you'll join us on the second. Both days are covered by the same fee: $0.
Registration closes Monday, so sign up today!
Minnesota Office of Higher Education Commissioner Dennis Olson
Commissioner Olson will welcome attendees to Minitex Connect at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2. OIson earned his bachelor's degree in American Indian Studies, Sociology, and Communication from the University of Minnesota. He also holds masters degrees from the University of Minnesota Duluth in Federal Indian Policy and Tribal Education. Olson began his professional career at the University of Minnesota and held positions with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council before becoming OHE commissioner in 2019.
U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services Senior Program Officer James Neal
James Neal will deliver his keynote at noon to close the conference's first day on Tuesday, May 2. In his current role, James manages a portfolio of grants and applications focused on building equitable digital communities, including open educational resources (OER), digital inclusion and digital equity, data privacy and security, open data, public interest/civic technology, and ebooks. In his talk, James will represent IMLS and its programs, strategies, and ideas while calling attention to trends and currents related to our theme, Empowered Communities & Enriched Lives.
Award-Winning Storyteller and Author Laura Packer
Minnesota-based storyteller and author Laura Packer will deliver her keynote address at noon to open the second and final day of Minitex Connect on Wednesday, May 3. Packer's awards include best-in-fringe at festivals in Minnesota, Indianapolis, and Kansas City, and she has won additional storytelling awards in Kansas, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and beyond. Packer's interactive presentation will introduce conference attendees to the so-called five critical stories every organization should know and be able to tell.
ABOUT MINITEX CONNECT
Minitex was conceived as a library information network, and that's what it still is today. We are our connections with libraries across Minnesota and beyond. Minitex Connect celebrates this interconnectivity and builds upon it by inviting each and every part of the library community to come together to help us realize the vision that is the purpose of that connection: Empowered Communities & Enriched Lives.
