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Fiscal Year 2007 Overview: Facts & Figures
Fiscal Year 2007 saw major developments for the MINITEX Library Information Network on several fronts, most notably in:
Document Delivery & MnLINK Gateway
MINITEX's Document Delivery Service continued to integrate the high volume of interlibrary loan requests coming in
through the MnLINK Gateway with those arriving via other resource sharing systems in Minnesota, North Dakota, and
South Dakota during Fiscal Year 2007. More than 387,000 requests were received in the MINITEX Office—a record
number and an increase of nearly 13.5 percent over Fiscal Year 2006. Staff filled more than 71 percent of the
requests, many within 1-2 days.
This massive interlibrary loan program means that residents throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota can
use materials owned by libraries throughout the three-state region and Wisconsin—as well as throughout the United
States and abroad.
Staff of the MINITEX Delivery System handled 916,000 items during the year to fill requests received by the MINITEX
Office and requests made directly among participating libraries. This was more than a 30 percent increase over Fiscal
Year 2006.
Use of the MnLINK Gateway (Minnesota's statewide virtual library catalog) continued to grow markedly. MINITEX Office
staff received and processed more than 170,000 Gateway requests—a 17 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2006.
The MINITEX office and staffs of MnLINK Gateway libraries were stretched as they worked to meet requests submitted by
individual library users and by library staff acting for users. Two public libraries, Rochester Public Library and
Duluth Public Library, joined the Gateway during Fiscal Year 2007, making their collections more accessible for all
Minnesotans. Enhancements to the Gateway software have meant more effective searching for desired items—regardless
of whether they are books, articles, DVDs, CDs, or some other format—and have helped improve the routing of
requests to libraries that own the item.
Including both the MnLINK Gateway and the integrated library systems used by the University of Minnesota and the MnPALS
Consortium (the libraries of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, state government, and private colleges and
universities as well as some public, K-12 school, and special libraries), MnLINK is funded through Minnesota tax dollars.
It began with a $12 million legislative appropriation approved in 1997 with the goal of sharing the resources of Minnesota
libraries with residents regardless of their location.
Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM)
ELM gives Minnesota residents online access to books; magazine, journal, and newspaper articles; eBooks (electronic
books); and information from other reference sources. ELM provides information about a vast array of topics, including
consumer information, arts and humanities, current events, health, science, social science, politics, business, and
more. Minnesotans continued to increase their usage of ELM during in Fiscal Year 2007, making nearly 11 million searches
of the ELM databases—an increase of 6 percent over Fiscal Year 2006.
The decision was made during Fiscal Year 2006 to extend the contract for most ELM resources by another two years,
ensuring that Minnesotans will have access to the same information resources through June 2009.
Minnesota Digital Library (MDL)
MINITEX became the administrative home of MDL on July 1, 2006. Focused around "Minnesota Reflections" (MDL's initial
project), MDL continued to grow as libraries, historical societies, and other Minnesota cultural heritage institutions
added more digitized versions of their historic photos, maps, drawings, and other images as well as digitized documents
to the collection. At the end of the fiscal year, "Minnesota Reflections" contained nearly 20,000 images from more than
70 organizations. Instructional materials to be used by teachers and other materials were added to the MDL Web site to
enhance its value as an educational tool.
Plans call for a broader focus for MDL in the coming years. Under a reorganization proposal approved by the MINITEX
Policy Advisory Council, MDL will become an umbrella service provided by MINITEX, which will include ELM, the MnLINK
Gateway, "Minnesota Reflections," other resources being developed by the MDL, and links to digital resources maintained
by other organizations throughout the state.
Collaboration
MINITEX works in collaboration with other library agencies and organizations in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South
Dakota to foster resource sharing and effective use of information resources.
During Fiscal Year 2007, examples of these activities included:
K-12 Media Specialists
MINITEX staff worked with K-12 school media specialists to build the Research Product Calculator, an online tool
designed to help middle and high school students break the research process into manageable steps. Students choose
the format for their research product (for example: essay, PowerPoint, video) and enter their assignment's due date.
The calculator estimates the dates by which each part of the process should be completed and provides a script for
the information-seeking process in the form of questions and answers that create a short, simple guide for this
complex process.
The Calculator is based on the Assignment Calculator developed by the University of Minnesota libraries for
undergraduate students and is based upon the MEMO Information and Technology Literacy Standards.
Minnesota State Library Services & Metronet
MINITEX staff worked with staff from Minnesota State Library Services (the Minnesota state library agency) and
Metronet (the Twin Cities area multitype library network) to initiate WebJunction Minnesota, an online community
that supports library staff with technology and library development materials. The site provides courses for online
learning and professional development and brings the library community together in online discussions and programs.
Learn More About MINITEX Programs & Services
These activities, and others, were carried out through the integrated programs of the MINITEX
Library Information Network.