Digitization of Historical Collections

Increasing the public's online access to the MNHS permanent collections remains a top priority for the Collections Department. Since the beginning of FY16 (July 1, 2015), over 1,000 artifacts have been digitally photographed and cataloged. (About a third of the artifacts have been published to our online catalog.) This included American Indian material culture (338 items) as well as recent acquisitions and artifacts associated with the Minnesota State Fair (200 items) and popular music in Minnesota (345 items). The digitization of Ojibwe artifacts, World War I military artifacts, and the Hmong textile collection has now been completed. For the remainder of FY16, digitization will continue to focus on recently acquired artifacts, remaining American Indian artifacts, artifacts associated with upcoming History Center exhibitions, and artifacts relating to the topic of exploration and explorers.