Southeastern Libraries Cooperating Legacy Grant SFY 2012 - SFY 2013
Minnesota’s 12 regional public library systems, which encompass 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional public library system receives a formula-driven allocation from the annual $3 million Minnesota Regional Library Legacy Grant.
Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) is a federated regional public library system with central services located in southeastern Minnesota. SELCO has thirty-five member public libraries located in eleven counties: Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, and Winona. With Arts and Cultural Heritage funds, SELCO and its member libraries present an array of arts, cultural, literary, and Minnesota history programs in collaboration with arts and cultural organizations, independent artists, historical societies, and community organizations. Programs contribute to the cultural vitality of the region and build a lasting legacy.
easel - Experience Art in Southeastern Minnesota
SELCO's second biennial traveling art exhibit, easel, provided a unique exhibit and programming opportunity. This community-based project drew on a multitude of resources including SEMVA (Southeastern Minnesota Visual Artists), artists residing in the 11-county region whose creative talents were displayed and local libraries that hosted the exhibit. Each piece in this traveling display reflected the artist's interpretation of a book, letter, or letters, authors, reading, or the library. SELCO required that all pieces be suitable for viewing by the general public. easel welcomed any artistic medium but enforced a strict size requirement. All 2-D artwork was required to be 12 x 12 inches, including frame. Any 3-D artwork could only be a maximum of 12 x 12 x 12 inches, and at least one of those dimensions had to be 12 inches. This unusual and limited size closely resembles the criteria from "Foot-in-the-Door" hosted every decade by the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
SELCO's Minnesota Book Award Author Tours connected area residents with some of Minnesota's finest authors. Libraries throughout the SELCO region hosted both winning and nominated authors of the 2011 and 2012 Minnesota Book Awards. A special 2012 Mystery Tour was scheduled in conjunction with the 2012 Fall Author Tour. These two programming opportunities were followed by the 2013 Winter Author Tour. The authors spoke to audiences about their books, their experiences as authors and their writing processes. In conjunction with the Author Tours, SELCO continued to promote the Book Club in a Bag program by adding 16 new kits containing the Minnesota Book Award winning titles of 2013. A total of 1,423 attended these literary events - 393 at the 2012 Fall Mystery Tour, 556 at the 2102 Fall Author Tour, and 474 at the 2013 Winter Author Tour.
These amounts are appropriated to the commissioner of education for grants allocated using existing formulas under Minnesota Statutes, section 134.355, to the 12 Minnesota regional library systems, to provide educational opportunities in the arts, history, literary arts, and cultural heritage of Minnesota. These funds may be used to sponsor programs provided by regional libraries or to provide grants to local arts and cultural heritage programs for programs in partnership with regional libraries. This appropriation is available until June 30, 2015.
Total Number of Programs Held: 191Total Attendance: 20,575Total Number of Partnerships: 147
These amounts are appropriated to the commissioner of education for grants allocated using existing formulas under Minnesota Statutes, section 134.355, to the 12 Minnesota regional library systems, to provide educational opportunities in the arts, history, literary arts, and cultural heritage of Minnesota. These funds may be used to sponsor programs provided by regional libraries or to provide grants to local arts and cultural heritage programs for programs in partnership with regional libraries. This appropriation is available until June 30, 2015.
Total Number of Programs Held: 127 programs
Total Attendance: 10,819 people
Total Number of Partnerships: 33 partnerships
Partner financial support & In Kind