Results of the Minitex statewide e-resources selection

We are pleased to provisionally announce the results of the Minitex statewide e-resources selection process, pending the completion of contract negotiations. These selections were informed by input from the library community and guided by the work of the Minitex Shared E-Resources Task Force.

Thank you to everyone who contributed feedback and participated in shaping this shared collection. We are especially grateful to the Shared E-Resources Task Force for its dedication, thoughtful analysis, and valuable insights throughout the process.

As we entered this selection cycle, ongoing funding for statewide e-resources remained flat, although Minnesota did receive one-time support from the Minnesota Legislature's K–12 Education Committee. Community feedback made it clear that the current collection effectively meets many core needs and contains little excess. At the same time, input identified important gaps and opportunities for expansion. Balancing these priorities within a constrained budget required difficult decisions.
We appreciate the vendors who worked with us to provide favorable pricing, helping us maximize the value of available funding. We also ask for understanding regarding the limited reductions that were necessary to accommodate new and emerging needs.

For the most part, the current collection will continue into the new contract term, with a couple of slight reductions and new additions.

Minnesota

This collection is branded as eLibrary Minnesota, or ELM. 

Britannica 

• Britannica Academic, Library, and School packages

Capstone

Additional modules for Minnesota made possible by one-time legislative funding from the K-12 Education Committee

• PebbleGo: Animals, Biographies, and Science (new) 
• PebbleGo Next: Animals (new), Science (new), States, and Indigenous Peoples’ History

Craft and Hobby 

• Craft and Hobby (new)

EBSCO 

• Premier package continues as-is, with the following changes: 
  Applied Technology Source to index-only (reduction from full-text tier) 
  Points of View Ultimate (upgrade) 
• CINAHL Complete (not including for-profits, hospitals, or healthcare systems) 
• LearningExpress Library package

Gale 

• In Context: Middle School and High School

ProQuest

• Nursing and Allied Health Premium 
• US Newsstream (including the Star Tribune html full text) 
• Cancellation of Star Tribune Recent Newspapers in PDF

Social Explorer 

• Social Explorer (new)

North Dakota 

North Dakota participates in many of the packages above, and for the most part their collections also remain unchanged. They will, however, add CINAHL Complete statewide, Craft and Hobby, Social Explorer, and additional PebbleGo modules yet to be determined. The differences with the Minnesota collection are nuanced enough that North Dakota libraries should look for more detailed communication from ODIN and NDSL soon.

South Dakota 

South Dakota joins in on the EBSCO Premier package, where access will continue as-is with the following changes: 

• Applied Technology Source to index-only (reduction from full-text tier) 
• Points of View Ultimate (upgrade)

More Details

Thank you to the 22 vendors that submitted proposals for our review. We know these processes are not insignificant. Thank you to our finalist vendors as well, for your continued partnership, and to our new partners, too.

This new collection will take effect on July 1, 2026, pending contract negotiations. Minitex will share more details of implementation in June.

We know these resources influence purchases your libraries make. If you have questions about pricing for upgrades, replacements, or additional resources - or if your library is a current subscriber to any of the new resources - contact the Minitex Cooperative Purchasing team at cpers@umn.edu any time.