Hennepin County Library - TeenLinks: Librarians' Blog for Minnesota

Staycations -- Minnesota blog post for Apr 2, 2013

Jody W. — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:32:47 CDT

Ever heard of a staycations, where you stay home and play tourist on your vacation? The Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association share great tips on things you can do and links to City Pages' Event Calendar to give you a heads up on the amazing cultural events happening in town.

Read All About It -- Minnesota blog post for Jan 29, 2013

Jody W. — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:15:57 CDT

The Minnesota Historical Society blogs about the 150 Best Minnesota Books. Titles include Betty Crocker's first ever cookbook to Sinclair Lewis' works of fiction to the children's books of Maud Hart Lovelace. Explore Minnesota in a whole new way by reading all about it.

Taste of MN History -- Minnesota blog post for Dec 27, 2012

Jody W. — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:22:20 CDT

Did you know we're the boating capital of America? Learn other random facts in this brief video from the History Channel.

Native Minnesotans -- Minnesota blog post for Nov 28, 2012

Jody W. — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:21:11 CDT

The Dakota Sioux and Ojibway nations call Minnesota home. A local educator and tribal historian, Dr. Anton Treuer, has written an illuminating book called Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask that will explain the history and culture of native people and answer the questions that may come across as offensive or ignorant.

State Pride -- Minnesota blog post for Oct 25, 2012

Jody W. — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:51:57 CDT

Ever wonder who made it big from Minnesota? Our new subtopic Famous Minnesotans will help you identify the people who had a major impact locally, in the U.S. or even the world.

2020 Olympics in Minneapolis? -- Minnesota blog post for Aug 7, 2012

Jody W. — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 10:21:36 CDT

Minneapolis Named for 2020 Olympic Consideration cautions that it's too early to know if we make the final cut, but we are keeping great company with fellow nominees New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Tulsa.

Minnesota Gurls -- Minnesota blog post for May 23, 2012

Jody W. — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:52:35 CDT

Watch Minnesota Gurls, a local response to Katy Perry's California Girls. You'll never look at spam the same way again.

Minnesota Encyclopedia -- Minnesota blog post for Mar 28, 2012

Jody W. — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 CDT

Explore MNopedia, an online encyclopedia with articles that include related media, related articles, turning point/overview, chronology, bibliography, and related resources.

New Electoral Districts -- Minnesota blog post for Feb 23, 2012

Jody W. — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 CDT

After every census, the political maps are redrawn and our lawmakers in the legislator are faced with the choice to move to a new district, retire, or run against an incumbent. MPR describes how Legislators consider future in new political boundaries.

Not Boring At All -- Minnesota blog post for Jan 25, 2012

Jody W. — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT

The Minnesota Secretary of State is not some dull government office! You can learn about Minnesota and its history, and teens can also explore How to Start a Business, how to be part of an International Student Exchange, and where to get a Waiver of Intercollegiate Athletic Eligibility. Check it out.

Resources on Minnesota Issues -- Minnesota blog post for Dec 6, 2011

Jody W. — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 CDT

What's happening with new sports venues? How is MN dealing with electronic privacy issues? Is the light rail being supported? Will same sex marriage happen in MN? Check out these legal summaries of the issues.

What's in a name? -- Minnesota blog post for Oct 5, 2011

Jody W. — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 CDT

Find out by reading Minnesota Place Names! Here's what it has to say about Lake Minnetonka: "

Minne (also spelled mini) is the common Dakota word for water, and tonka (also spelled tanka) is likewise their common word meaning big or great, but the name thus compounded seems not to have been used by the Dakota till Ramsey coined it for the lake. So far as we have records, indeed, the Dakota appear to have had no term for this large and many-featured body of water.

Between her Lake Bryant and the third large sheet of water, "an extremely narrow . . . headland half a mile in length, running out from the southern shore," since named Breezy Point, was by her named Point Wakon, "the Dakota term for anything spiritual or supernatural." There an oval stone, a waterworn boulder about a foot in diameter, had been found, which the Dakotas had "painted red, and covered with small yellow spots, some of them faded to a brown color," around which stone the Dakota braves were accustomed, after raids against the Ojibwe, to celebrate."

Thinking about the weather? -- Minnesota blog post for Apr 27, 2011

Jody W. — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 CDT

The Minnesota Climatology Working Group has the facts and statisics you need. Check out Latest Developments in the right column for the latest weather events.

Can MN be hip-hop? -- Minnesota blog post for Mar 23, 2011

Jody W. — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 CDT

What do you think of this parody of Empire State of Mind called Minnesota State of Mind? If you were going to write a parody about Minnesota, which song would you choose?

Video Treasure -- Minnesota blog post for Feb 15, 2011

Jody W. — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:00:00 CDT

TPT's Minnesota Video Vault shares wonderful documentaries, interviews and news shows for free. Interviews make great primary sources!

You think this weather is bad? -- Minnesota blog post for Jan 20, 2011

Alicia A. — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 CDT

Check out the Top 5 Minnesota Weather Events of the 20th Century.

From Local History to Local Hotties -- Minnesota blog post for Dec 13, 2010

Alicia A. — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 CDT

The MN150 blog has info on hundreds of people, places and things that have shaped our state.

Recount Quiz -- Minnesota blog post for Nov 16, 2010

Alicia A. — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:00:00 CDT

What if you were in charge of the upcoming gubernatorial election recount? This quiz from the 2008 recount will help you hone your skills.

Minneapolis history -- Minnesota blog post for Oct 8, 2010

Alicia A. — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:00:00 CDT

Want to dig deeper for your local history project? The Minneapolis Collection at Mpls Central Library includes books, photographs, high school yearbooks, maps, postcards, and more. Also find MN history FAQs on the website.

tpt videos -- Minnesota blog post for Sep 7, 2010

Alicia A. — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 CDT

Search and watch hundreds of clips from the Twin Cities Public TV vault, like this video of local Hmong author Kao Kalia Yang reading from her book.

The Fair is coming! -- Minnesota blog post for Aug 3, 2010

Alicia A. — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 CDT

Watch a video of historic footage from the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

World's Largest Ball of Twine... -- Minnesota blog post for Jul 1, 2010

Alicia A. — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 CDT

...and more. Spice up your summer road trip with some quirky local history or random roadside sculptures. Find some ideas here.

I see into the past... -- Minnesota blog post for Jun 9, 2010

Alicia A. — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:00:00 CDT

Minnesota Reflections has thousands of images from Minnesota's history.

Today in MN History -- Minnesota blog post for May 3, 2010

Alicia A. — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:00:00 CDT

Increase your random knowledge: get a bite-sized piece of local history here.

How Green is MN? -- Minnesota blog post for Apr 12, 2010

Nina S. — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 CDT

The U.S. Energy Information Administration knows! Here you can find useful stats on what energy resources Minnesota produces and uses.

Reality Check! -- Minnesota blog post for Mar 1, 2010

Nina S. — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 CDT

Not sure how much money you'll need to earn to pay for all of your expenses? No problem! Get a Reality Check with the Minnesota Career Information System and learn how much your future living will cost and which occupations will pay you enough to cover your cost of living.

Many Minnesota Maps -- Minnesota blog post for Jan 26, 2010

Nina S. — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 CDT

are provided by the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office, including several interactive maps where you can select to include county boundaries, major highways, lakes, state parks, etc. Perfect for school reports!

Researching a Current Event -- Minnesota blog post for Dec 31, 2009

Nina S. — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 CDT

and want to know which MN magazines have written about it? Try searching the Minnesota Magazine Index! MNMag has over 25,000 citations from nine MN magazines. To narrow your search, type in your subject as a Keyword and then limit by Author, Date Range, or even by a specific publication.

Light Up Your Holidays -- Minnesota blog post for Dec 20, 2009

Nina S. — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:00:00 CDT

with, um, well, lights! Check out these decked out displays in Minneapolis for some holiday cheer! Which ones are your favorites?

Digitized MN History -- Minnesota blog post for Nov 18, 2009

Nina S. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CDT

Attention History Day participants! For those of you researching Minnesota innovations for your project this year, check out the Minnesota Reflections database for digitized images from Minnesota history. To narrow down the search of their 45,000 objects, try browsing by collection, topic, or region.

Haunted Minnesota -- Minnesota blog post for Oct 13, 2009

Nina S. — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 CDT

Getting geared up for All Hallows' Eve? Check out the website of the Minnesota Paranormal Study Group for a good dose of ghostly activity. Besides sporting photos and videos of possible paranormal activity, there are also archives of Minnesota newspaper articles documenting some bizarre happenings back into the 1800s. What do you think of their research? Are hauntings real or just spooky legends?

Road Trip! -- Minnesota blog post for Jul 3, 2009

Nina S. — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 CDT

Feeling the need to hit the road this summer? Why not take a road trip and visit some Minnesota colleges? Check out Minnesota State Colleges and Universities for campus locations.

Photo History Tour -- Minnesota blog post for May 21, 2009

Nina S. — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 CDT

Before you set out in the city to enjoy the new warm weather, take a step back in time with James Lilek's photos of historic Minneapolis buildings. Do you like how the buildings have changed through time, or do you think the original designs were the best way to go?

Roses Are Red -- Minnesota blog post for Apr 5, 2009

Nina S. — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:00:00 CDT

Celebrate National Poetry Month with some Minnesota poets! What do you think makes good poetry?

Extra! Extra! -- Minnesota blog post for Mar 4, 2009

Nina S. — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:00:00 CDT

In search of historic Minneapolis headlines? Check out the Historical Minneapolis Tribune (1867-1922) for full page and article images for 1909-1922 and indexing and abstracts for 1867-1908 for one of the earliest Minneapolis newspapers! How do you think news reporting has changed in the Twin Cities since 1867?

Searching Minnesota -- Minnesota blog post for Jan 13, 2009

Nina S. — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 CDT

Looking for an item that's not in the Hennepin County Library Catalog? Try MnLink! MnLink will search public and academic libraries throughout Minnesota for the title that you need and have it delivered right to your local library.

Money Money Money! -- Minnesota blog post for Dec 9, 2008

Nina S. — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Looking for financial aid to get you through college? Minnesota Career Information System provides information about scholarships based on criteria such as area of study, merit, and leadership. Have you tried out the Financial Aid Sort? It allows you to find scholarships and loans based on the criteria that applies to you!

Get Involved! -- Minnesota blog post for Nov 14, 2008

Nina S. — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Recent elections got you motivated? Check out the Minnesota Politics website for political news and opinions.

Newspapers Galore! -- Minnesota blog post for Oct 8, 2008

Nina S. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Need to find an article on a topic but don't want to have to repeat the same search over and over again in the different newspapers? By going to any of the Minnesota newspaper databases, like the Star Tribune, you can broaden your search to include other major MN newspapers. After you enter the database, just click on the 'Minnesota' link above the title and check the boxes of the other newspapers you want to include. Do you see any differences on how each newspaper covers the same issue?

Minnesota and the Elections -- Minnesota blog post for Sep 10, 2008

Jody W. — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 CDT

Trying to figure out your political beliefs? Maybe Minnesota Politics can help. It pulls in political news from around the state, as well as blogs and other sources of opinion and interpretation. Can you recommend any other good Minnesota resources?