Ebooks Minnesota, a program of Minitex, celebrated its 8th anniversary on leap day this year. Minitex is a state-funded information-and resource-sharing program of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the University of Minnesota Libraries. Ebooks Minnesota is one of the many programs administered by Minitex. Launched as a pilot project in 2016 using the BiblioBoard platform, Ebooks Minnesota came about after a 2013 survey reported that access to ebooks was the most important issue facing libraries in the state. The original goal was to provide Minnesota's residents with an online ebook collection from Minnesota-based small and independent publishers.

Many librarians in the survey had written about the difficulties libraries face in acquiring ebooks. Problems included lack of available content that libraries can buy, limited ownership, complex patron-access platforms, difficult-to-use DRM systems, limited resource sharing, and, most troubling of all, pricing inequities. The Ebooks Minnesota collection would include materials appropriate to school, public, and academic library users, with an initial focus on materials for school-aged children. The goal, which was reached, was to have more than 2.000 ebook titles added during the 2-year project. The collection, made up of 3,757 titles, primarily from Minnesota publishers, averaged 18 circulations for each title in the first year. Although you could read books without creating a profile, approximately 4.000 Minnesotans had created one a year after the launch.

Developments, 2016-2020

Between 2016 and 2019, promotion of the program was ramped up. This included exhibiting at the annual Twin Cities Book Festival and other library-related conferences in Minnesota. Bookmarks, bumper stickers, and posters were created and distributed to libraries around the state. Instructional and informational webinars were offered several times each year. Another survey of library staffers was conducted in 2019 that provided some takeaways and direction for the program. K-12 was the biggest user of Ebooks Minnesota, and awareness was high and headed in the right direction. Future actions included continued promotion, a platform review, content expansion, and a diversity audit.

In 2020, during the height of COVID-19 and following George Floyd's murder, we partnered with the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library on a statewide book club that invited Minnesotans of all ages to read a common title, by a Minnesota author, that would be hosted on the Ebooks Minnesota platform for 10 weeks. One Book | One Minnesota was a great way for Minnesota residents to come together virtually to enjoy, reflect, and discuss. It also helped to increase the awareness and usage of Ebooks Minnesota. At this point, we wanted to reassess Ebooks Minnesota within the ebooks landscape of the state. The goal was to position it as a core resource for as many Minnesota libraries as possible.

A 2020 environmental assessment showed a large appreciation for the...