Friends of the Hennepin County Library Records

Collection

Identifier: M/A 0372

Staff Only

Description of Contents

Collection contains annual reports, annual meeting materials, newsletters, incomplete board minutes, program and event files, posters, and photographs documenting the Friends of the Hennepin County Library, Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library, and Library Foundation of Hennepin County from 1951 to 2015. Bulk of materials relate to the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library and its successor, Friends of the Hennepin County Library. Materials related to the Library Foundation of Hennepin County are labelled as such. Newsletters and annual reports are good entry points to the collection.

The collection is strongest in programs and events organized by the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library and Friends of Hennepin County Library from the 1990s to 2000s. Topics include the construction of a new Minneapolis Central Library, programs with local and national authors, and support for library activities.

Dates

Creation: 1951 - 2015

Creator

Friends of the Hennepin County Library (Organization)
Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library (Organization)
Library Foundation of Hennepin County (Organization)

Access Restrictions

The collection is available for use in Special Collections at Minneapolis Central Library during the department's open hours.

Biographical / Historical

Friends of the Hennepin County Library is the fundraising partner of Hennepin County Library. Founded in 2008, following the merger of the Minneapolis Public Library and Hennepin County Library, the Friends are the successor organization to both the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library and the Library Foundation of Hennepin County. As of 2021, the organization had over 12,000 members.

The Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library were founded in 1948. The organization campaigned for increased library funding and was instrumental in raising funds for the construction of new central library buildings in the 1950s and 2000s. Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library sponsored many programs and events, including book sales, book stores, Talk of the Stacks, Pen Pals, Childish Films, and more.

The Library Foundation of Hennepin County was founded in 1989 to help supplement funds for library activities. Together with Minneapolis Public Library, the Foundation funded a children's Readmobile program in the early 1990s.