Hennepin County Library’s History Day Hullabaloo

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

With low youth attendance rates becoming more of a concern every year, libraries are constantly looking for ways to increase youth traffic. In the summer of 2007, Hennepin County Library (HCL) implemented a new program partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) to connect middle and high school students to library resources. The program supports National History Day (NHD), a highly regarded national academic challenge that encourages young people to explore a historical subject related to an annual theme. Successful projects can advance from school, to regional, state and national competition. The program partnership initiated events are called History Day Hullabaloos. The HCL - MHS partnership connects youth to library resources by hosting events at the library that provide one-on-one assistance with specially trained library staff, NHD staff, university student mentors, and community volunteers. MHS staff and the university mentors focus much of their effort on urban schools but all History Day students are welcomed. Last year, roughly 300 students participated in this successful program.