In 2025 the Arrowhead Library System offered 40 Mini Grants. Presented here are the Mini Grants that have been completed so far.
Member Libraries of all types used their creativity and these funds to provide their community with helpful technology, programs, books, and more! Thank you to all libraries who applied for these Mini Grants in 2025. Read more to see the successful outcomes of this year’s Mini Grants, and to find inspiration for your own Mini Grant and project ideas!
Project Name: Digitizing VHS & film resources
Michele Lammi, Iron Range Historical Society
Outcomes of the Project:
IRHS had seven VHS tapes and one 16 mm film converted to DVDs and digital files. The resources converted include: the Pioneer Reunion of 1938 in Bear River; the Colby Ridge development in Hoyt Lakes; The Life and Times of Fr. Perkovich, his retirement mass, and Polka masses #1 and #2; School’s Today: Eveleth is People; and the Making of Iron. Andrew’s Camera of Virginia completed the work for IRHS.
Both VHS tapes and films are old formats not compatible with today’s technology. In their current format they are not at all usable. IRHS will have both a DVD and a digitized copy (available on the computer) created. Both of these upgraded formats are accessible for patrons with players and computers at the Society.
Having these items available and in an accessible format for those who visit the Society will greatly increase our patrons’ success in their projects. IRHS also benefits because we can then show these films at annual meetings, at our summer Saturdays at the Society, and even on our Facebook page. Having older formats of videos and recordings converted to today’s technology is a most valuable service for our historical records. Everyone benefits when the area’s historical resources can be accessed.
Project Name: Library Pop-Up/Event Supplies
Alee Hill, Essentia Health Library Services
Outcomes of the Project:
The Essentia Health Library used mini grant funding to order branded notepads to give away at in-hospital library pop-ups and at annual employee events. We aim to improve patron knowledge of our library’s resources and, at minimum, the library’s existence.
We’ve only been able to host one pop-up event since we obtained the sticky note pads. Still, pop-up patrons were thrilled with the notepads. Now that the notepads have made their way into St. Mary’s Medical Center, we hope they will be a simple aid in advancing knowledge of our services/existence. Additionally, the 250 notepads are enough to help us sustainably schedule monthly pop-ups through June 2026.
Twelve people attended the October pop-up, and they thanked us profusely for temporarily bringing library services to St. Mary’s Medical Center. We had one patron in particular who said he has a difficult time making it up to the library, but now plans to visit us at the pop-up each month we’re there. He checked out several books, and hopes to take notes on his notepad.
Project Name: Rug For Children’s area
Paula Fowler, Keewatin Public Library
Outcomes of the Project:
Our patrons benefit by the children and parents being able to utilize our children’s area to sit and play games, read together while being comfortable being on a soft, clean carpet for comfort. We are measuring the success of this project by the kids and families that utilize our children’s area to play games, read together, and hang out on our new soft carpet. They love it saying how soft the carpet is.
Project Name: Bears Don’t Always Hibernate
Muriel Crandall, Lake of The Woods School
Outcomes of the Project:
We bought Games, art supplies, and a cupboard to store them in. So far I have had 12 high school students using chess, checkers, card games, and art. They are enjoying chess and checkers when they have spare time. Also all the other games are calming. I have seen them teaching each other some of the games such as chess. I have been told how much they like the fact of having some options to do when they have free time.
Project Name: New Books for Beginning Readers
Tina Trullinger, Parkview Elementary School
Outcomes of the Project:
We purchased 13 new reinforced non-fiction animal books at the Kindergarten reading level. The students got to enjoy new non fiction animal books that otherwise would not have been purchased. The students were very excited to see the new books. These new books are the first ones the students reach for when it is free reading time.
Project Name: Homebrewing/Winemaking kits
Justin Dinger, Cloquet Public Library
Outcomes of the Project:
The grant project was focused on creating circulating beermaking and winemaking kits. Hobbies can be expensive. What if you thought you liked something only to find out you were wrong after spending hundreds of dollars. Our beer and wine making kits will allow patrons to find out if homebrewing is something they really like. We will measure the success of the kit by tracking kit circulation, as well as circulation of other beer/winemaking books in our collection.
Project Name: Classroom Read Along with Read Aloud
Lisa Ball, Hermantown Elementary School
Outcomes of the Project:
This grant was to purchase a classroom set (30 copies) of one novel, for teachers to use as a novel unit, to more thoroughly engage in the story. Per 3rd grade teacher, Stephanie Kemp, “A classroom set allows us to do a book study where we can look at characters and their actions, traits, and motivations and how those things affect the plot of the story. We look closer at vocabulary, figurative language, and other reading concepts. The kids are more engaged and learning through fictional stories.” The third grade teachers won’t begin their novel units until January, but several classroom teachers are already planning to use this set.
Project Name: Mason Jar Snow Globe Take and Make
Crystal Whitney, Cook Public Library
Outcomes of the Project:
This grant helped us create 30 snow globe take and make kits to give away in November. These kits are suitable for kids (elementary-aged and up) and adults.This passive program gave library staff the opportunity to connect and engage with patrons while we are waiting for the reconstruction of our library. We have a limited number of books and DVDs at our temporary location so it was nice to offer patrons something extra.
Many patrons saw the kit in the library e-newsletter and were asking about them on the first day they were available. Some adults are taking kits to share with kids/grandchildren during the upcoming holidays. All 30 kits were distributed in 3 weeks.
Project Name: Chomp Saw for Builders Club
Katie Schmitz, Duluth Public Library
Outcomes of the Project:
Builders Club is a popular drop-in program that provides the opportunity for kids in grades K-7 to work with a variety of household items, including cardboard, to complete a building challenge. At Builders Club, kids are encouraged to materialize the ideas and visions of their imaginations. At each session, kids are given a challenge to guide their creations, and encouraged to think outside the box. We strive to create a no-pressure environment where kids/families can come and go anytime within the 2-hour event, and the focus is on creativity and play. Some popular building challenges have included creating a cardboard treehouse, animal habitats, bridges, Halloween props, haunted houses and even a collaborative cardboard art sculpture! Participants are exposed to different techniques and tools for connecting cardboard and provided books and examples to inspire their creativity. What kids come up with when given the time and space to play with different ideas and materials is always surprising and inspiring!
The Chomp Saw has been a great addition to the Builders Club. Children and parents alike are drawn to it and the first club that we had, it was in constant use the whole 2 hours of the program! The kids feel a lot of independence from being able to use a “power tool.” Many parents are just as excited, if not more excited to use the tool than the kids! It has been especially satisfying to watch kids gain skill using the tool, which really “levels up” their capability for creating independently and trying more complex creations.
We have held 2 Builders Club programs with the chomp saw. We had 22 participants at the first program and 10 at the second. At the first program I printed off some templates to make simple 3D animals with the chomp saw. At the second program we were making dino-ramas with cardboard and other household materials. At both events kids and parents were very interested in the tool. I gave each youth a hands-on tutorial on how to use the saw. It was a learning curve for kids as they figured out how to position their cardboard in order to make their desired cut. It was fun to see how their trial and error eventually led to success. The saw was running the full 2 hours for the first event and most of the second event as well. Other comments included a youth participant who thought the Chomp Saw was “a very cool machine.” A few parents commented that they had seen the chomp saw online and were excited to get to try it out in person. One parent explained that they had been a part of a builders club organized by a parent, but that parent could no longer do it. And they were so grateful that their library had a Builders Club they could attend. Another parent commented that they were having just as much fun as their kid. Overall, kids leave with a lot of pride in what they create, and parents are happy to have spent quality time with their kids creating. We will continue to use the Chomp Saw as a fixture in our Builders Club. Other library staff have used it to prep materials for a program and have commented on how much time the tool saved them. Other library staff are excited to consider how they could utilize it in their programs. I’m sure it will get a lot of use!
