To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Minnesota Historical Society is creating a broad range of opportunities to help students, teachers and the general public learn more about the war and the role Minnesota played.
Research shows that traditional teaching tools, such as textbooks and lectures, don’t fully engage today’s students who have grown up surrounded by technology and who use it in their daily lives. In this ongoing project, an additional two Minnesota Historical Society historic sites will improve their service to “21st Century Learners” and their teachers and parents.
Research shows that traditional teaching tools, such as textbooks and lectures, don't fully engage today's students who have grown up surrounded by technology and who use it in their daily lives. This biennium, an additional four Minnesota Historical Society historic sites are improving their service to "21st Century Learners" and their teachers and parents.
In 2012, the Minnesota Historical Society will commemorate theU.S.-Dakota War of 1862 through a variety of programs and methods, including online presentations, educational tools, published works, artwork, events and community outreach. Visit usdakotawar.org for a list of all initiatives.
The Minnesota Historical Society will raise awareness of the significance of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 by communicating the experiences of people before, during and after the war.
Programs and resources related to the commemoration of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 include:
The Minnesota Historical Society Press (MHS Press) will continue to publish new books and also articles in Minnesota History magazine to help people further understand the complex history of the Dakota in Minnesota. Projects include:
The Minnesota History Center will invite the public to participate in programs that explore Dakota language and culture and also the history of the U.S.--Dakota War of 1862. Public programs will provide multiple perspectives on the war and give voice to Dakota history and identity through a variety of formats including lectures, films, tours and workshops.
Visit usdakotawar.org/events for a list of commemorative programs and events sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society and other organizations.
This exhibit, on view at the Minnesota History Center through Sept. 8, 2013, recounts the Minnesota war that tore apart lives, families and the Dakota nation. Visitors can view documents, images and artifacts related to the war, as well as hear heart-wrenching stories and learn about the broken treaties and promises that led to this disastrous chapter in Minnesota history. There are many, often conflicting, interpretations of events related to the war. The exhibit includes multiple viewpoints, as well as historical and contemporary voices.
Minnesota Historical Society staff will work to increase public awareness about the tragic events surrounding the war which had a profound impact on shaping our state. Staff will also increase public awareness of new Society inititatives and programs related to the war to ensure that students, teachers and the general public use and benefit from them.
Increasingly, people are turning to digital resources for answers to questions or as a starting point for research. MNopedia is a new digital resource for the public from the Minnesota Historical Society.
Working with the Minnesota Newspaper Association, local historical societies and newspaper publishers, the Minnesota Historical Society launched an innovative project to expand the number of contemporary newspapers available in digital form.
In the pilot phase of the project, the Society developed a methodology for digitizing, preserving and indexing newspaper content. Those processes will be tested with six newspapers and optimized in 2011.
Through this funding, the Minnesota Historical Society is advancing the work of making collections information available online. The Society is photographing 3D objects in the collections and completing corresponding descriptions that will be published online, allowing web site visitors to access an increasing volume of historical information.
Partner Organizations: Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MNGeo), Minnesota Secretary of State, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Minnesota Association of County Surveyors (MACS), U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
This project will move from a development phase to an implementation phase during which the public will begin to gain access to a greater number of Minnesota newspapers from around the state on the internet. Society staff will refine and automate the newspaper management system it developed in the first phase of the project and continue to work out access agreements with publishers and also form new partnerships with many more publishers. Staff will continue the work of harvesting and archiving webonly news sources that was begun in the first phase of the project.
The Minnesota Historical Society will continue to increase access to its collections by making historical resources available online for the general public. This year, there will be a greater focus on posting collections items relating to the U.S.--Dakota War of 1862 and the Civil War as part of the Society's wider commemoration of both events.
The 1901 Dodd Ford Bridge, a significant contributor to the development of Amboy, was slated for replacement by Blue Earth County. Federal funds were sought by the County for the project. This initiated section 106 and 4(f) reviews, which concluded that it would be prudent and feasible to renovate the bridge on site. However, more specific data is required about the historic bridge renovation program and costs. The grant money assisted in funding the hire of a consultant to examine costs and methods to restore and preserve the 1901 Dodd Ford Bridge.
The Minnesota Historical Society Press(MHS Press) converted more than 125 MHS Press/Borealis Books titles to digital formats for multiple e-book readers, including the Kindle, the Nook, the Sony E-reader and the Apple iPad, allowing us to meet the needs of not only young, tech-savvy readers, but also users in the over-50 age bracket who have been among the first adopters of e-reader technologies.
To meet increasing demand for digital books, 136 Minnesota Historical Society Press (MHS Press) books have been converted and are available as e-books from popular e-book vendors. Six short form e-books will be released by the end of January 2013. Digital editions of more than 80 MHS Press books are available to libraries, researchers and students via Project Muse, a leading provider of digital humanities and social sciences content. In addition, an enhanced e-book about Minnesota in the 1970s is now being written and developed and will be published in fall 2013.
The Minnesota Historical Society is launching a new component to its internship program by providing opportunities for high school students to develop work-readiness skills and learn about career paths available at the Society.
The Society strives to attract interns from underrepresented communities to encourage engagement and diversify the institution. Students are placed across the Society in various departments and sites.
The Minnesota Historical Society strives to attract high school and college interns from underrepresented communities to encourage engagement and diversify the institution. Students are placed across the Society in various departments and sites and have the opportunity to work alongside museum professionals to enhance their skills and apply their knowledge in a professional environment. College students participate in learning activities together over a semester-long period to enrich the internship experience and network with other interns in their cohort.
To create an area that will improve the visual impact of heritage hand-crafted arts, art (drawing/painting) and culinary departments and to create a demonstration area. Demonstration area will have a stage constructed for programs and presentations that allows an audience to learn and be inspired to preserve the heritage of various arts.
In 2007, the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota (CMSM) conducted an environmental scan of early learning opportunities for children in southern Minnesota. It became apparent that the region creates few opportunities for children to engage in self-directed learning experiences in social settings; in particular, opportunities that create access to arts, culture, and heritage. This is still true today.
To provide financial support to developing and established regional artists wishing to take advantage of an artist generated or impending concrete opportunity or to provide support for expenses to complete work that will advance the artist’s work or caree
