Minitex is a publicly supported information and resource sharing program for academic, government, public and specialized libraries in the states of Minnesota , North Dakota , South Dakota, and with partners in Wisconsin and Iowa. Minitex was created as a pilot project, initially funded in 1968 through a grant from the Louis and Maude Hill Foundation and state and federal grant funds from the Minnesota State Department of Education.
8-690: Today the system is a joint effort of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the University of Minnesota Libraries . Minitex is funded by the Minnesota State Legislature to serve higher education communities, and it also provides services for public, school, and specialized libraries in Minnesota through contracts with the Minnesota Department of Education . The purpose of Minitex
16-476: Is an executive branch agency that is responsible for the coordination of higher education information, financial aid programs, statistics, and policy in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The agency does not run or administer the two public systems of higher education in Minnesota, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system or the University of Minnesota system . In contrast to many other states,
24-482: Is to enhance library effectiveness by expanding information resources for libraries and providing services to their patrons. Minitex offers access to training, workshops, conferences, and events for the library and education community. Libraries and their patrons can access a number of different services and information resources. These components include the MNLINK, ELM, Minnesota Digital Library, Ebooks Minnesota, AskMN, and
32-554: The Minnesota Library Access Center. The MNLINK system allows user to request materials from one of 600 participating Minnesota libraries to be shared. The Electronic Library for Minnesota is a collection of statewide research and information databases that users can query for research purposes. Ebooks Minnesota provides a publicly available collection of ebooks. In addition, the Minitex system links library loans from
40-539: The Minnesota Office of Higher Education primarily functions as a policy and coordination role between the state's public, private non-profit and for-profit colleges and universities. It is the designated state higher education executive office or SHEEO organization. The agency also participates with the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity or NC-SARA. It also administers financial aid on behalf of
48-655: The University of Minnesota Library collection, other participating libraries, and other resource sharing services Other shared resources that can be accessed through the Minitex system include the Minnesota Digital Library, a digital library of Minnesota-specific content, and the Minnesota Library Access Center , a storage facility for collections from 21 Libraries Minnesota Office of Higher Education The Minnesota Office of Higher Education
56-507: The administration of the state and federal G.I. Bill . In addition to these functions it also licenses higher education programs in Minnesota. The agency has set a statewide policy goal of increasing the percent of Minnesota citizens to that have attained a collegiate certificate or degree to 70 percent by 2025. It is also working to research ways of reducing structural barriers and achievement gaps for students of color, persons of low income, persons with disabilities and other groups. In 2013,
64-444: The state with respect to state and federal student loans and aid. It also provides general counseling on student loans and finances to the public. Annually it administers up to $ 150 million of state grants and the state loan program called SELF to students attending schools in Minnesota. The agency also provides research on higher education spending for the state legislature and advises the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs on
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