by Zach Miller
Quick Summary
The Minitex Messenger is our most important means of informing the library community of the state-funded services we provide. We understand that communication is a two-way street, and we thank you for all the reading you did over the past year. The articles listed below were our most-read in 2024.
Is there something you'd like to see more of, or less? Please send us your feedback on how the Minitex Messenger can improve in 2025. Thank you!
10. Minitex Network for Open & Affordable Practices website now live
The Minitex Network for Open & Affordable Practices (MNOP) is a new Minitex program supporting librarians and other academic support staff in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota working to increase adoption of open educational resources and library affordable content strategies. Its website soft launched in advance of the program's official kickoff in November.
9. Minnesota libraries cooperate to preserve 500,000 books for future generations
The Minnesota Shared Print Program is the effort of 24 academic libraries from across Minnesota. Each participating library agreed to retain books in their collection deemed an important part of the scholarly record that are in demand, but scarcely available within Minnesota or elsewhere in the United States. The program was administered and paid for by Minitex.
8. Join Minitex for Doors Open Minneapolis and tour MLAC's subterranean cavern
Minitex and the University of Minnesota Libraries are participated in Doors Open Minneapolis on Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19. From 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. each day, we welcomed the public into the Minnesota Library Access Center (MLAC) and the Maxine Houghton Wallin Special Collections Research Center.
7. Sara Ring honored by Library Journal as one of 2024's Movers & Shakers
Library Journal named Sara Ring among their 2024 Movers & Shakers for her collaborative work on "23 Linked Data Things." The project offers library staff a free and easily accessible self-paced learning curriculum on linked data.
6. Filling the Minnesota map for MDL’s 20th anniversary
The Minnesota Digital Library will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2025. In honor of that milestone, MDL has a goal to add a contributing organization from each of Minnesota’s 87 counties.
5. MNLINK transition complete
Thanks to the many dedicated staff at Minitex and in the library community who worked on the project, MNLINK's transition to a new software platform is complete. The pursuit of continuous improvement for MNLINK, and all Minitex services, goes on.
4. State Library Services announces competitive grant opportunity
Funding was available in the total amount of $400,000 with a maximum grant amount of $75,000 and a minimum of $10,000. Grant-related questions were due by June 21, and applications by July 12.
3. AI Knowledge Bytes: Artificial Intelligence in Libraries Lunch ‘n Learn Series
The purpose of this series is to learn and explore the tangible applications and implementations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across all types of libraries.
2. Tim Peters to retire after 35 years with Minitex
After a successful and varied career with Minitex, Tim Peters retired on November 1. Thank you, Tim, for your many years of service to libraries!
1. Minitex introduces suite of tutorials on services and programs
Minitex staff created a suite of tutorials designed to introduce library staff to Minitex services and programs, and dubbed in "Minitex 101."
