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Statement of Purpose

The Minitex Policy Advisory Council shall advise the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE) and the Minitex Director in planning, development, and evaluation of the programs and services of Minitex.

The Council shall:

  • advise OHE on the development of policy to fulfill the Minitex mission "to strengthen libraries, cultural institutions, and the communities they serve";
  • represent the constituency groups served by Minitex;
  • advise OHE on the direction and performance of programs of Minitex;
  • provide opportunities to communicate with the library constituencies served by Minitex;
  • provide a base for input and recommendations to improve services provided by Minitex;
  • assist OHE and Minitex staff in identifying opportunities for service to and for discussion of issues of concern from Minitex libraries.

Membership & Operations

Appointment

Appointment to the Minitex Policy Advisory Council shall be made by the Director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education upon nomination by the directors, or their designee, of the libraries in each constituency group except in the case of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus. The University Librarian designates the representative of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus Libraries.

Constituency Groups

The constituency groups represented on the Minitex Policy Advisory Council are:

  • City and County Public Libraries
  • Community/Consolidated College Libraries
  • MELSA County Libraries
  • Private College Libraries
  • Regional System Libraries
  • State Government Libraries
  • Multi-type Library Systems
  • State University Libraries
  • Technical College Libraries
  • Tribal College & Community Libraries
  • University of Minnesota System Campus Libraries
  • University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus Libraries
  • K-12 School Media Libraries

Terms of Service

Minitex Policy Advisory Council appointments are for three years with one-third of the terms expiring at the end of each fiscal year (June 30).

Representation of Other States Using Basic Minitex Services

The North Dakota State Library and South Dakota State Library may have a representative on the Council (non-voting).

Ex-Officio Members

The Director of State Library Services (a division of the Minnesota Department of Education designated as the Minnesota state library agency), or his/her designee, is an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the Council. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Director of Libraries, or his/her designee, is an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the Council.

Relationship to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education

The OHE staff, with the assistance of the Minitex office, is responsible for:

  • Appointment of membership.
  • Reviewing and offering feedback on Council meeting dates and agendas.
  • Reviewing and offering feedback on Council deliberations and recommended actions.

Council Organization

The Minitex Policy Advisory Council provides a forum for active exchanges among Staff, the Director of Minitex, and advisors. The Council may select a chairperson and vice chairperson. All meetings shall be open to the public. The Council meets quarterly.

Appointments of Representatives of Constituency Groups to the Minitex Policy Advisory Council

The following Constituency Groups elect their representatives and notify the Minitex Director, who will notify OHE of the representatives' names, libraries, and addresses and the appointments are made by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

  • Community College/Consolidated Colleges Libraries
  • Private Colleges Libraries
  • State Government Libraries
  • State Universities Libraries
  • Technical Colleges Libraries
  • Tribal College and Community Libraries
  • University of Minnesota System Campus Libraries

The representatives for the following Constituency Groups are selected by the MDE's State Library Services division. OHE is notified of the representatives' names, libraries, and addresses and the appointments are made by OHE.

  • City and County Public Libraries
  • MELSA County Libraries
  • K-12 School Media Libraries
  • Multi-type Library Systems
  • Regional Public Library Systems

The State Librarians of North Dakota and South Dakota notify the Minnesota Office of Higher Education whom their representative will be, and the appointments are made by OHE.

Relationship to the Minitex Office

The Minitex Director and staff are responsible for:

  • Working with the Council and OHE to establish meeting dates,
  • Drafting the agenda for the Council and sharing it with OHE for review before distribution,
  • Recording the deliberations and actions of the Council (including meeting minutes) and sharing them with OHE for review before distribution,
  • Providing reports and information to the Council to inform them of various Minitex and MnLINK related activities and to form the basis for any policy recommendations to OHE.

Revised September 2005; updated September 2010; updated September 2019.

Staff contact
Zach Miller

Head of Communications