The U of M's John R. Borchert Map Library has made available for online searching the 1903 plat maps of Minneapolis, 1913 Hennepin County Atlas, and the 1916 Minnesota Flat Plats.  Great tools for historical research. 

Placeography  is a wiki where you can search for the history and stories about a house, building, farmstead, public land, neighborhood or any place to which you have a personal connection.  You can use the site to learn information or to share it by contributing what you know about a building, structure or property. This growing fun-to-use site has a notable Minnesota bias.

An incredible wealth of information can be found in our nation's historic newspapers. We are in the midst of an explosion of digitization projects that are providing access to this phenomenal resource. One of the go-to-sites is Chronicling America - Historic American Newspaper http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/  available free through the Internet. For the state of Minnesota Chronicling America offers the St. Paul Daily Globe, 1878-1896 (with slight title variations). The newspaper digitization project is an outgrowth of the United States Newspaper Program http://www.neh.gov/projects/usnp.html 1980 to 2009.

Let's take time to reflect on our soldiers, the conflicts and wars they served in, and the homefront during those times. With the Minnesota Historical Society opening a major exhibit on the Minnesota's Greatest Generation , it is an opportune time for the library to provide links to some of the informative and engaging websites on the history of those wars.  Look at the History & Biography Subject Guide under subtopics U. S. History and under World History.

The Minnesota Historical Society has just thrown open the doors to the archives of its fabulous magazine, Minnesota History  . The magazines have been scanned and are now keyword searchable.  The results are the actual articles from the magazine-in living color. Years available include 2009 to 1915. Most current issue is not available online.

To pay tribute to women who have demonstrated a commitment to nature and the planet, a number of national institutions have joined together with a website for Women's History Month. The honorees include scientists, engineers, business leaders, writers, filmmakers, conservationists, teachers, community organizers, religious or workplace leaders, or others whose work has shown exceptional vision and leadership to save our planet. The website is a resource on women leaders. The list of those being honored includes three from Minnesota. Click on the 2009 theme box to be connected with the list and a brief sketch of the woman's contributions.

What a gift to local history research!!  HCL now offers the database Proquest Historical Minneapolis Tribune, 1867-1922.  Along with the headline and full citation, an abstract may be part of the search results.  For the years after 1908, full-text is available!  

Don't forget to use the index to the newspaper the Minneapolis Journal.  The index covers  the years 1899-1914 and is located in 4th floor Central stacks.  The newspaper microfilm is located on the 3rd floor. 

To locate Historical Minneapolis Tribune select Subject Guide from the HCL home page.  Then select Magazines & Newspapers. Then select Proquest Discovery.  From search screen, use the database pull-down changing In-disciplinary Discovery to the News-Historical Minneapolis Tribune. 

U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd's 2008, Letters to a New President, is a reflective book on the great power and responsibility of the executive branch and the opportunity it brings.  A thoughtful book to ponder as our new president takes office. 

Looking for a fun (and educational) vacation close to home?  Check out these historic places in Minnesota!

Search primary documents from the National Archives.  And check out the online exhibits for letters, photos, art, and more on topics from American history!

March is National Women's History Month!  The National Women's History Project provides a Women's History Calendar as well as links to other sites.

The Black Past covers six centuries of African American history and includes an online encyclopedia, primary sources, and links to other websites.

Learn what happened on this day in American history and view historic documents!  Today in History, part of the American Memory project, lists historic events for each day of the year and includes links to primary documents from those events.

Send a historic ecard courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society!

May 11, 2008 is the 150th anniversary of the state of Minnesota!  The Minnesota 150 exhibit, now open at the Minnesota Historical Society, highlights 150 people, places, and things that influenced our state history.