Racket's incredulity over staffing levels at MNopedia flatters Lizzie Ehrenhalt… sort of.
"In a way, I'm flattered,” says the lone Minnesota Historical Society employee tasked with overseeing Minnesota’s digital encyclopedia. “Because I want people to have the impression it's more than just me. People often refer to MNopedia as, like, a team and plural, and then I have to say, 'Well, thank you, but to be real, it's 'I' not 'we.'”
Launched in 2011, MNopedia eventually ballooned to three full-time staffers, though layoffs reduced the project’s headcount to just Ehrenhalt by 2020. "So I'm the editor, publisher, copy editor, acquiring editor, and IT person to the extent I can be one," laughs the multi-hyphenate history buff who’s been with MNopedia for a dozen years.
The model hasn’t changed much over time: cataloging Minnesota history via two original encyclopedia entries each month, with topics that range from St. Paul hardcore legends Hüsker Dü to the Native division of the Civilian Conservation Corps to celebrity horses of yore. And that’s just scratching the surface—MNopedia has published over 1,000 rigorously researched pages documenting Minnesota life since well before statehood.
"It's really living up to its promise of being encyclopedic, which is hard to do," Ehrenhalt says. "We… I finally got there, and I just want more people to know about it, because I really think there's something in it for everybody."
The emphasis isn't just on historic people, the editor/publisher/etc.; MNopedia includes entries on buildings (right down to the conceptual level, courtesy of the great architectural historian Larry Millett), products (Nordic Ware Co.’s clutch invention of the Bundt pan), events (the "Bloody Friday" Teamsters' strike of '34), and groups (the Minneapolis-launched American Indian Movement). For many historians, Ehrenhalt says, history seems to stop in the middle of the 20th century, though she’s determined to make it feel more recent and alive for younger generations, which explains why there are articles on Somali poetry in Minnesota and the state flag redesign drama.
At Ehrenhalt’s disposal: the vast archives of the Minnesota Historical Society, including hundreds of thousands of amazing photos, plus a nice freelance budget to keep building the site. Unlike crowd-edited wikis, MNopedia operates more like a magazine—a writer writes and researches, Ehrenhalt edits. Everything is systematically fact checked, and a bibliography sits beneath each article.
"I try to find that magic unicorn topic, and then the challenge is to match it with a writer who has either educational knowledge of the topic or lived experience with the topic,” Ehrenhalt says, adding that around 500 writers have contributed pieces. “I’m really proud that I can pay writers, too; the project used to be a volunteer-based model.”
A weekly partnership with MinnPost has helped MNopedia reach a wider online audience.
“Our readers love history and historical context, so it makes a lot of sense,” MinnPost editor Elizabeth Dunbar says. “I looked at some of the most-read from last year, and popular topics include food, alcohol, and big storms, but there was also plenty of interest in lesser-known people who have shaped Minnesota in unique ways. It's a great partnership.”
While MNopedia’s staff may’ve been cleaved by 66% since its founding, the very busy Ehrenhalt keeps “scrambling” to keep it afloat. The mission statement remains just as important.
"To provide a completely free resource to everybody throughout Minnesota and beyond who has an internet connection,” she says. “Because, you know, the History Center in St. Paul has amazing in-person exhibits and programs, but we can't reach everybody."
