University of Minnesota Libraries

11/04/2026

Universities hold powerful and complicated histories. How they shape and are shaped by society and their leaders is an ongoing question, made even more vital in the current moment as the value of higher education is debated.

The Westernized university and us, a new book published by UMN Libraries Publishing, turns this conversation inward by bringing together stories of people in universities — who they are, what they do, and why. These accounts create a multidisciplinary mosaic of testimonies of scholarship, teaching, and advocacy for communities, students, and critical love for what the university gives and what it could be.

This open access book is available to read in full online: https://umnlibraries.manifoldapp.org/projects/the-westernized-university-and-us

Cover art, "Zaagi Mashkiki (Love Medicine)," by Racquel Banaszak.

11/02/2026

In case you missed it: in September, the libraries of the University of Minnesota announced a new digital subscription to The New York Times available to all current UMN students, faculty, and staff. Read about how this expanded access has "enable[d] a flood of exploration" in a new piece by the Minnesota Daily.

Activate your access at z.umn.edu/nyt.

https://mndaily.com/campus/digital-access-to-the-new-york-times-enables-a-flood-of-exploration-at-the-umn/

On Sept. 21, the University of Minnesota libraries announced new digital access to The New York Times for students, faculty and staff. Since then, students and faculty have been ecstatic over the expanded access. Second-year student Maya Sompalli has held a streak for The New York Times ‘Mini’ e...

10/30/2026

On Oct. 23, 2026, UMN Libraries held its second annual Publication Celebration event hosted by University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing.

The event showcased a wide range of different projects published by UMN Libraries Publishing. Held during Open Access Week, it also underscored the Libraries' commitment to ensuring that quality, scholarly work is available to any reader, anywhere in the world.

Read more about the event, the projects showcased, and UMN Libraries Publishing in the new story on our website.

📸 K Carmody-McIntosh

https://www.lib.umn.edu/news/2026/10/celebrating-open-access-publishing-umn-libraries

10/29/2026

Join our campus partners for "Hungarian Refugees and the United States: Legacies and Lessons," a keynote lecture co-sponsored by the Immigration History Research Center Archives at UMN Libraries.

Join us for a keynote lecture with Professor Carl Bon Tempo (SUNY-Albany) titled "Hungarian Refugees and the United States: Legacies and Lessons"

The keynote address will be delivered on Thursday, November 19 at 4:30 pm. Register: https://z.umn.edu/BONTEMPO

10/28/2026

Take a trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for an Andersen Horticultural Library pop-up, Oct. 30-31!

📚🎃 Learn about the dark world of poisonous plants and toxic tomes with a special Andersen Horticultural Library pop-up!

Visit the OVC Balcony Oct. 30–31 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. for “Little Library of Horrors.” Play our “Pick Your Poison” matching game, explore rare books with a dangerous history (did you know arsenic was once used to create green dyes in book covers?) and discover chilling reads from our library collections.

🕷️ Stop by if you dare!

10/28/2026

Read about "Unburied," a new exhibit currently on display at Elmer L. Andersen Library, in a new story by the Minnesota Daily!

"This exhibit reminds us that for most of human history, death is still something that is very much a part of life," says Ann Tandy-Treiber, a lecturer in University of Minnesota English. "Death is something that has immense meaning for us as humans, and can mean different things to us as we need it to. I think this exhibit’s doing a really good job of demonstrating that."

Death is inevitable and an inescapable reality of the human experience, but on the University of Minnesota’s West Bank, the Elmer L. Andersen Library shows that understanding how our ancestors understood death can make us feel less alone. The new exhibit “Unburied: Death and Mourning in the Arch...

10/27/2026

Pop-up books may seem like child’s play, but they are impressive feats of paper engineering that turn the 2D process of reading a book into a 3D, tactile experience.

When the Children's Literature Research Collections at UMN Libraries received a donation of over 1,000 pop-up books from longtime collector Dennis Frahmann, our Archives and Special Collections Cataloging Unit began the work of processing and cataloging this delightful collection.

Take a peek at some of the books in the collection, and hear from our catalogers about why cataloging these books is important to ensure they are accessible to a wide range of students, educators, researchers, and readers.

Read the full story by Rebecca Ammerman: https://www.lib.umn.edu/news/2026/10/surprises-every-turn-umn-libraries-brings-large-collection-pop-books-world

10/26/2026

See materials from the Performing Arts Archives at UMN Libraries in a new immersive pop-up experience! This week!

10/26/2026

Tour two more companion exhibits at Elmer L. Andersen Library this fall with UMN Libraries Exhibit Designer, Darren Terpstra: "The Right of the People: Honoring the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence," and "The Right of the People: Anti-Fascist Propaganda, 1914-1945." Learn more about these and other Libraries exhibits: https://www.lib.umn.edu/news/topic/exhibits

Elmer L. Andersen Library currently requires a U Card for entry. If you do not have a U Card, please call 612-624-7469 upon your arrival to be let into the building.

10/23/2026

Mark your calendars! On Nov. 7, Lisa Von Drasek, Miranker Family Curatorial Chair of The Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature, will be moderating a conversation at the Twin Cities Book Festival with award-winning picture book author and illustrator Philip C. Stead.

The conversation will take place at noon in the Red Cap Room.

Join us as renowned picture book author and illustrator Philip C. Stead unleashes his first prose book for Middle Grade readers! Saturday, November 7, 202612:00pm, Red Cap Room For his ... Read More