by Sara Ring
Quick Summary
I learned about a unique and brand new library in New Kid on the Block: How a Museum Opened a Library. Archivist Ryan Welle walked us through the steps it took to organize and open a new library at the Minnesota Military Museum. The Minnesota Military Museum is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1976 and is located at Camp Ripley, Minnesota’s National Guard training facility. While the museum started collecting library materials in 1989, it wasn’t until 2014 that the museum board voted to make the collection more widely available to the public. The library officially opened it’s doors to the public on May 24, 2018.
I attended my first Lake Superior Libraries Symposium on Friday, June 8th on a beautiful sunny day in Duluth, Minnesota. Jolie Graybill and I participated in a lightning round and discussed three recent Minnesota Digital Library projects that lay the groundwork for advancing access and use of Minnesota Reflections, and we also had the chance to attend several sessions.
I learned about a unique and brand new library in New Kid on the Block: How a Museum Opened a Library. Archivist Ryan Welle walked us through the steps it took to organize and open a new library at the Minnesota Military Museum. The Minnesota Military Museum is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1976 and is located at Camp Ripley, Minnesota’s National Guard training facility. While the museum started collecting library materials in 1989, it wasn’t until 2014 that the museum board voted to make the collection more widely available to the public. The library officially opened it’s doors to the public on May 24, 2018.
The library uses Alexandria as their web-based catalog, primarily using volunteers to maintain the database. The collection was originally arranged by topic (with which war they corresponded with), and an organic classification scheme developed from there. There are over 12,000 items in the catalog on a wide variety of topics such as Minnesota history, United States history, and World history, along with a collection of DVDs and fiction materials.
As part of the planning process, staff asked "How is the library going to complement the other parts of the museum?" They decided to approach the library as a service available to those who wished to dive deeper into a museum exhibit topic. As part of the library space remodel, they removed shelving to create a new meeting room in the library. To enhance the meeting room space, they received a massive mural from the Minnesota Historical Society that measures 30 feet wide by 8 feet tall, taking up an entire wall (there is a picture of the room in the presenter slides). They also use the new library space to orient visitors to Camp Ripley, and also for service members who are there for training, or who need background information to suit their operational needs.
To promote the new library, they primarily used online tools such as the website and social media. They advertised on the local radio station and hosted an open house event on Memorial Day weekend. They also plan to host ongoing programs to continue library promotion and outreach activities. One goal of the library is for materials to be shared with patrons across the state, and they also already have a good relationship with the local public library in Little Falls, who can refer patrons to them.
To check out materials, you need a state issued id (they do not have library cards). The check out period is 3 weeks, and patrons are allowed to renew items twice. The Library is open Thursday - Saturday, 10-4 pm., which is a strategic decision, and it is also the time that most people visit the museum.
I also learned the museum has a Traveling Trunk Program. Each trunk contains items available for use in displays, or they can be used for instruction at schools across the state. Their most popular traveling trunk is about the Vietnam War followed by WWI. They send the trunks through Minitex delivery.
Cover photograph by Sara Ring, Minitex, 2007.
