Latest News

Photo of the Crooked Lake Branch of the Anoka County Library. Image of a Charlie Cart and participants of their cooking class in circular frames.

Nourishing community at Crooked Lake Library

by Jesus Maldonado Sanchez
Last month, we visited the Crooked Lake branch of the Anoka County Public Library, where we sat (and even participated) in their wildly popular class, “Senior Chef: Cooking for One (or Two!)” A response to a community need, this class helps promote community building among senior patrons, through cooking healthy meals.
Photo of braille text

Special indeed: the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library

by Zach Miller
Minnesota is filled with amazing public libraries, school libraries, and academic libraries. But there's a fourth library type that deserves just as much attention: so-called "special" libraries. These are the libraries that serve government, business, healthcare, and just about every other niche of the information delivery ecosystem. The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library is one prominent example.
Minitex logo

Federal funding for Minitex services

by Zach Miller
Federal funding from the Library Services and Technology Act, provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, enables Minitex to collaborate with Minnesota’s entire library community. We centralize processes, share resources and infrastructure, and leverage economies of scale to provide high-quality services that save money and use public resources as efficiently as possible.
State of school libraries event banner

New webinar: The state of school libraries in Minnesota

by Zach Miller
This free webinar is a co-production of Minnesota's Multicounty Multitype Library Systems and Wilder Research. Two dates are available, April 30, 2025, 12:00-1:00 p.m., and May 6, 2025, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Reformed Theological Seminary - Jackson Library Gates

Kind words from Reformed Theological Seminary

by Dana Kocienda
Reformed Theological Seminary shared their appreciation for Minitex’s Cooperative Purchasing program, highlighting the great service they’ve received from both the vendor and Minitex. We’re grateful for their feedback, and proud to support libraries with the resources they need.
Melissa Ward

Meet a future librarian: Melissa Ward

by Zach Miller
In every Minnesota community, there's a library. And in every library, you will find workers dedicated to the betterment of their neighbor's lives. That's why the most important resource in a library is not its books, but the people who work there. Soon, Melissa Ward, currently an MLIS student at St. Catherine University, will be one of them.
Marianne Adamek

Meet a future Minnesota librarian: Marianne Adamek

by Zach Miller
In every Minnesota community, there's a library. And in every library, you will find workers dedicated to the betterment of their neighbor's lives. That's why the most important resource in a library is not its books, but the people who work there. Soon, Marianne Adamek, currently an MLIS student at St. Catherine University, will be one of them.
Image of flame with blue-gradience. Minitex logo in left-hand corner. Text on screen: Library Hot takes.

Send us your library hot-takes!

by Jesus Maldonado Sanchez
Got a controversial opinion about libraries, books, or anything library-adjacent? Submit your spiciest takes; you might see them featured in next week’s newsletter!

MLA issues call for proposals for 2025 conference

by Zach Miller
The call for proposals for the Minnesota Library Association's 2025 conference is now open. The deadline to apply is April 30. This year's conference will take place October 9-10 in St. Cloud, Minnesota.