BE IT RESOLVED, that Agreement A199491 with the Minnesota Historical Society to accept a grant for the preservation and access of a photograph collection, during the period December 1, 2018 through February 1, 2020, with a receivable amount of $72,000 be approved; that the Chair of the Board be authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the county; and that the Controller be authorized to disburse funds as directed.

BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED, that sponsorship and acceptance of grant funding for the program by Hennepin County Board of Commissioners does not imply a continued commitment by Hennepin County for this program when grant funds are no longer available.

In 2016, The Star Tribune Company donated their archive of original print photographs to Hennepin County Library (HCL). The collection includes photographs used in the Minneapolis Star, Minneapolis Tribune and Star Tribune from the 1920’s through 1995. The approximately 800,000 photographs were delivered to HCL in 675 boxes that do not meet current long-term preservation standards. This grant will be used to identify, catalog and preserve photographs with local content. The grant will fund roughly 3,460 hours of work by HCL staff and supplies to preserve the photographs. Photographs will continue to be housed and available to the public at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central.  Work is ready to begin so HCL brings this grant forward for approval. 

The terms of the donation indicate that HCL retains ownership of the physical collection and that the Star Tribune maintains intellectual property rights, giving HCL permission to provide public access in the library. The Star Tribune and HCL are enthusiastic to increase the public’s access to this collection.

This grant requires HCL to provide matching funds in the amount of $12,300. HCL has budgeted those matching funds from its 2019 operating budget.