CITIZENS LEAGUE (MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.):

An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society

Manuscripts Collection

OVERVIEW


	Creator:	Citizens League (Minneapolis, Minn.), creator.
	Title:	Citizens League records.
	Dates:	1947-2007
	Language:	Materials in English.
	Abstract:	Minutes (1971-1981), correspondence, reports (1958-1984), subject files, notebooks, financial information, and printed materials relating to this nonpartisan citizens, public affairs research, and educational organization based in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The group is organized into committees that research current affairs issues affecting various aspects of community life.
	Quantity:	81.3 cubic feet (83 boxes).
	Location:	See Detailed Description for shelf locations.

The collection contains research reports and subject files in the fields of education, government, transportation, mental and public health, and similar areas of public interest. There are extensive records from Public Service Options, an organization formed by the Citizens League and Upper Midwest Council to consider broader options for delivery of public services (1974-1980), and from PSO, Inc. (1976-1980), which was formed to handle contracts with the Metropolitan Transit Commission.

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ARRANGEMENT

These documents are organized into the following sections:


		Executive and Administrative Files
		Committee and Task Force Files
		Project Background Files
		Project Reports
		Photographs
		Public Service Options
		Oversize Materials

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Citizen League Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples

Accession Information:

Accession number(s): 13,128; 13,155; 13,703; 14,920; 15,987; 16,636; 16,637; 16,835

Processing Information:

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Catalog ID number: 990017158480104294

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION

EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE FILES

Location

Box

149.H.18.1B

Board memoranda, 1974-1980

Bylaws, 1952-1973

Citizen League itself, 1976

Community input memoranda, 1976-1983 3 folders and 1 volume.

Historical notes, 1980s-1992

Leadership development, 1978-1983 1 volume.

Minutes, 1971-1982 3 folders.

Positions on key issues, 1989-1991

Rethinking the Public Service Industry, 1982

Location

Box

141.C.7.3B

Constitution play, 1987-1988. 2 folders.

Location

Box

153.I.7.9B

Citizens League listings 1-37, 1982-1983.

Correspondence:

Andersen, Elmer L., 1978-1980.

Durenberger, Dave, 1979-1983.

Frenzel, Bill, 1968-1978.

Director of metropolitan officials, 1953-1964.

Education vouchers background paper, 1983.

Helping this community understand its problems and what can be done about them, 1976.

Minneapolis school amendment flyers, undated.

Public affairs directory, 2002-2006.

Research program, 1984-1985.

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COMMITTEE AND TASK FORCE FILES

Committee files contain minutes, reports, committee member lists, memoranda, and background material. In some cases notebooks were dismantled and folders numbered in sequence. Committee titles also include the names of subcommittees. The researcher should consult the entire container list to locate all relevant files.

The files are arranged alphabetically by name of committee or task force. Many, but not all, were given file numbers by the Citizens League. These numbers have been retained as part of the file titles because they serve as a key to the bound project reports. There are actually two file numbering sequences, an earlier sequence which pertains to just 16 files and a later sequence which pertains to the great majority (some 178).

Location

Box

149.H.18.1B

259. Accountability in schools, 1971-1972 5 folders.

Achieving excellence in schools, 1971

422. AIDS, 1987-1988 1 volume.

Location

Box

149.H.18.2F

422. AIDS, 1987-1988 1 volume.

418. Airport, 1987 2 volumes.

Airports, 1969 3 folders.

230. Airports : Metropolitan Airports Commission, 1966-1969 5 folders and 1 volume.

286. Appointments, 1975 3 folders.

Location

Box

149.H.18.3B

27, 217. Area parks review, 1966-1968 4 folders and 2 volumes.

PROJECT BACKGROUND FILES

Location

Box

141.C.6.7B

Doing the Common Good Better, 2002-2004 3 folders.

Effective Transportation, 1980-1995 4 folders.

Location

Box

141.C.6.8F

Effective Transportation, 1980-1995 2 folders.

Fiscal Disparities, 1977-1986 4 folders.

Higher Education, 2004 3 folders.

Higher Education, University of Minnesota reports, 2004 3 folders.

Medical Facilities Standards, 2004-2005 2 folders.

Minnesota Mental Health, 2004-2007 2 folders.

Location

Box

141.C.6.9B

Minnesota Mental Health, 2004-2007 7 folders.

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PROJECT REPORTS

Location

Box

141.C.6.9B

Bound reports:

Organized in reverse numerical order by file number (468 files). File numbers relate to the committee or task force responsible for the report.

Nos. 1-125, 1952-1961 4 folders and 2 volumes.

Location

Box

141.C.6.10F

Nos. 126-279, 1961-1974 5 volumes.

Location

Box

141.C.7.1B

Nos. 280-441 1974-1991 6 volumes.

Location

Box

141.C.7.2F

Nos. 442-468. 1991-2001 3 volumes.

Location

Box

141.C.7.2F

Printed reports, 1978-1979 4 folders:

Adaptability--The new mission for vocational education, 1986

Building confidence in older neighborhoods, 1973

Changes in communications and the opportunities, problems, and issues for the Twin Cities, 1980

Future role of the Metropolitan Planning Commission, 1965

Health care access for all Minnesotans, 1992

Hennepin County government reorganization, 1966

Income maintenance, [1976?].

It's only a game: a lottery in Minnesota, 1986

Jails, 1966

Keeping the waste out of waste, 1981

Larger view for small scale agriculture, 1984

Local government in a time of transition, 1974

Local government school, 1958

Major non-local governmental programs, agencies and organizations operating in the minority and low income areas of Minneapolis, 1969

Metro Council: narrowing the agenda and raising the stakes, 1984

Metropolitan zoo report, 1966

A positive alternative: redesigning public service delivery, 1982

Power to the process: making Minnesota's legislature work better, 1985

Region's infrastructure: the problem isn't what you think it is, 1984

State fiscal 'crises' are not inevitable, 1972

A strategy for the waterbelt, 1985

Stretching the school salary dollar, 1969

Thought before action: understanding and reforming Minnesota's fiscal system, 1982

Twin Cities metropolitan area sewerage needs, 1965

Use road revenue for the roads that are used, 1983

Reports not approved or distributed, 1954-1972

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PHOTOGRAPHS

Location

Box

141.C.7.2F

Bus test run, June 1956.

City annual report, 1955.

City engineer's tour, 1953.

Construction of West River Road, 1954.

General hospital, 1954-1962.

Membership drives, 1956.

Radio and television reports, 1954-1958.

Miscellaneous photographs, undated and 1953-1960.

Location

Box

P2803

Portraits, undated and 1954-1963.

Snapshot photographs of League members, guest speakers, politicians, and others, filed in alphabetical order by individual's last name.

Subjects, undated and 1954-1963.

Snapshot photographs filed in alphabetical order. Many of these were taken at League breakfasts and luncheons, annual meetings, and at committee and other meetings and social functions.

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PUBLIC SERVICE OPTIONS (PSO), 1972-1981

The organization was formed by the Citizens League to "bring more community resources to bear upon the delivery of public services by: encouraging public policy makers to expand their options for providing public services and encouraging government units to participate more extensively with purchase-of-service arrangements in the public service area."

Public Service Options was formally incorporated in April 1976 to stimulate a ridesharing program in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. It was a joint venture between the Upper Midwest Council and the Citizens League. Its major funding came from the Metropolitan Transit Commission, a governmental agency, pursuant to a written agreement requiring PSO to perform certain services with respect to the establishment of a ridesharing program in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

The records include minutes, correspondence, reports, contracts, financial information, and related material.

Location

Box

141.C.7.3B

Articles of incorporation, 1976

Bylaws.

Dissolution of PSO, 1980-1981 2 folders.

Goals and objectives, 1974-1975

PSO, 1972-1973

Minutes, 1974-1980 13 folders.

Steering Committee memoranda and correspondence, 1974-1978 5 folders.

Location

Box

149.I.7.9B

Financial Information

Fiscal years, 1976-1980 4 volumes.

Audits. 2 volumes.

Financial statements, September 1973-December 1978 3 volumes.

Management letter, September 18, 1975

Grant and endowment information:

Grant requests, 1973

Bush Foundation, 1973-1976

Clark Foundation correspondence, 1973-1976

Funding proposal for PSO, March 1, 1976

Lilly endowment, 1976-1978

McKnight Foundation, 1976-1979

National Science Foundation, 1974-1976 2 folders, 1 volume.

Other foundations, 1974-1976

Funding summary, 1976-1977

Grant procedures and information, 1978-1979

Service Options Foundation and investment record, 1976-1977

Location

Box

149.I.7.10F

Chronological volumes:

These volumes include correspondence, financial information, reports, contracts, and related material.

April 1974-April 1975 5 volumes.

Location

Box

149.I.8.1B

May 1975-April 1976 5 volumes.

Location

Box

149.I.8.2F

May 1976-April 1978 5 volumes.

Location

Box

149.I.8.3B

May 1978-March 1980 4 volumes, 1 folder.

Location

Box

149.I.8.4F

First contract with Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC), June 1976-June 19, 1977 2 volumes.

Correspondence, contract information, and related material.

Contract with MTC, 1979

Issue bulletins, 1974-1975

Printed reports:

Proposal to National Science Foundation, Volume 1, 1973

Proposal for continuing support for public services, January 6, 1976

Two or three years: Alternative models for PSO, October 2, 1975

Report to the Ford Foundation: National review of urban housing preservation programs, August 26, 1976

New options for preservation of single family neighborhoods, March 1976

Shared ride services, July 29, 1975

Report of the Public Service Options: Policy Review Committee, June 7, 1978

Public Service Option: A review of a test of an idea. 2 parts.

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OVERSIZE MATERIALS

Location

Box

148.D.3.3B

Scrapbooks, 1951-1967 4 volumes.

Newspaper clippings.

Minneapolis City Charter. Scrapbook, 1947

Newspaper clippings.

Transparencies on city and metropolitan government.

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RELATED MATERIALS

Newsletters of the Citizens League are in the Minnesota Historical Society book collection.

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CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:: Citizens' advisory committees in education -- Minnesota.; Citizens' advisory committees in mental health -- Minnesota.; Citizens' advisory committees in technology -- Minnesota.; Citizens' advisory committees in vocational education -- Minnesota.; Citizens' associations -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.; Courts -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.; Political participation -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.; Public interest -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.; Regional planning -- Minnesota -- Citizen participation.; Taxation -- Research -- Minnesota.; Transportation -- Minnesota -- Planning.; Education -- Evaluation.; Urban transportation -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.; School buildings -- Minnesota.; Community organization -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.; Hospitals -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.; Land use -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.; Parks -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area -- Planning.; Refuse and refuse disposal -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.; Urban policy -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

Organizations:: Metropolitan Transit Commission.; Public Service Options (Minneapolis, Minn.).; Twin Cities Metropolitan Planning Commission.

Places:: Minneapolis (Minn.) -- Charter.; Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Minn.).

Document Types:: Photographs.

Titles:: Public affairs directory.

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