About Ebooks Minnesota

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What is Ebooks Minnesota?

Ebooks Minnesota is an online ebook collection for all Minnesotans. The collection covers a wide variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction, for readers of all ages, and includes content from our state's independent publishers, as well as national and international publishers.  These ebooks are available to all Minnesotans at no cost.  Patrons can read and access most ebooks without any checkout, holds, or due date limits.  Ebooks Minnesota allows for unlimited simultaneous ebook access, meaning multiple users can access most books at the same time.

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How can my patrons access Ebooks Minnesota?

Minitex will manage access to Ebooks MN using the familiar IP-range method we use for the eLibrary Minnesota (ELM). No digital rights management (DRM) is required. You can share Ebooks Minnesota with your patrons by posting a link to the collection on your website and by sharing the link in promotional materials: https://ebooksmn.org. 

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Where can I find MARC records for the titles in Ebooks Minnesota?

MARC records can be accessed and downloaded from the Mackin website.

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Is there an app for Ebooks Minnesota?

Yes! You can download the free app here: MackinVIA app

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Who do I contact for help and more information?

Email ebooksmn@umn.edu or use the Feedback Form if you would like more detailed information. We’ll get back to you right away.

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I'm a self-published author. Can I add my book to Ebooks Minnesota?

Ebooks Minnesota is designed as a collection built from large title sets acquired from Minnesota publishers. The Minnesota library community wants to support publishing within the state so they have created the Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project to help authors get their work published, and the public library community now offers MN Writes MN Reads, a system to collect and distribute ebooks created by Minnesota authors.

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Where can I find usage statistics for Ebooks Minnesota?

We are able to provide a general set of statistics that show where and how frequently Ebooks Minnesota is being used throughout the state. Find your city/town in the spreadsheets below:

For questions about the terminology used in the report, consult the Google Analytics glossary.

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Can I request a book be purchased for a class/school/community read program?

If you would like to request that a specific title be included in Ebooks Minnesota for a limited time for a classroom or school read, please fill out and submit the Ebooks Minnesota Classroom Read request form.

If you would like to request that a specific title be included in Ebooks Minnesota for a limited time for a community read program, please fill out and submit the Ebooks Minnesota Community Read request form.

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Can I suggest a title be purchased?

If you would like to suggest a title for purchase to be included in the collection, please fill out and submit the Suggest a Title form.

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What is the background of the Ebooks Minnesota program?

In 2014, Minnesota library leaders from all types of libraries and library-related organizations undertook a statewide effort to explore the integration of ebooks into libraries, increase understanding of how ebooks and digital content impact libraries, and engage in conversations around the future of ebooks in the state. The resulting Explore eBooks MN initiative consisted of five webinars presented by local and national ebook experts on topics ranging from ebook basics to e-content creation.

Explore eBooks MN then culminated in an August 2014 summit where more than 100 staff from Minnesota's school, academic, public, and special libraries joined together to share ideas and discuss options. From these efforts, information was gathered and a statewide ebook collection was identified as a priority of Minnesota's ebook future. Minitex and the State Library Services division of the Minnesota Department of Education joined forces to identify an ebook collection that would be of use and interest to all residents and unique to Minnesota. State Library Services set aside a portion of its Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds to support the preliminary ebook collection for children and teens for the first two years of the project. Minitex uses its funding to provide the software platform for delivering and purchasing ebooks statewide.

The Ebooks Minnesota original focus on independent publishers meant that the titles acquired were primarily purchased in sets from the publishers, rather than as individual titles. Minitex also worked with the University of Minnesota Libraries to preserve these titles in perpetuity as a snapshot of Minnesota's history with independent publishing.

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