TN Marketing's Craft & Hobby Announces Multi-Year Statewide Partnership with Minitex to Expand Creative Learning Access Across Minnesota and North Dakota

MINNEAPOLIS, July 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TN Marketing is excited to announce a multi-year partnership between its library-exclusive streaming platform, Craft & Hobby and Minitex, the resource sharing program of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the University of Minnesota Libraries. This agreement will provide statewide access to the Craft & Hobby platform for public, academic, and school libraries across Minnesota and North Dakota beginning July 2026.

Through this partnership, library patrons, students, and educators will gain access to Craft & Hobby's extensive catalog of high-quality, expert-led tutorials spanning a wide range of creative disciplines, including knitting, crochet, painting, photography, cooking, woodworking, sewing, and more.

Craft & Hobby is part of TN Marketing, a leading media and content company serving passionate enthusiast audiences through a portfolio of consumer and B2B brands. While TN Marketing supports multiple direct-to-consumer platforms for hobbyists and makers, Craft & Hobby is its dedicated library-focused offering, designed specifically to meet the needs of library systems, educators, and community programming.

Minitex works to strengthen libraries, cultural institutions, and the communities they serve by connecting individuals with information, ideas, and experiences that enrich lives. The organization supports libraries throughout Minnesota, as well as in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and beyond.

"We are thrilled to team up with Minitex to bring Craft & Hobby into local libraries," said Cal Franklin, CEO of TN Marketing. "Libraries are essential community hubs, and through Minitex, Craft & Hobby is able to deliver inspiring, skills-based learning experiences to residents across Minnesota and North Dakota."

The Craft & Hobby platform supports both independent learning and structured programming. Libraries and educators are encouraged to integrate the platform's expert-led tutorials into workshops, classes, and community programming, while also enabling patrons and students to access content at home for self-paced learning.

"We are constantly looking for ways to evolve Minitex and eLibrary Minnesota to meet the diverse, modern interests of our community," says Minitex Director, Maggie Snow. "Partnering with Craft & Hobby allows us to bridge the gap between traditional digital literacy and hands-on, creative expression. Whether someone is looking to elevate an existing hobby, or a parent is seeking safe, engaging activities for their children, this new partnership delivers world-class instruction straight to their screens free of charge."

This collaboration represents a meaningful effort by Minitex and its partners to expand digital resource offerings and ensure communities have access to innovative tools that support education, creativity, and personal enrichment.

About Craft & Hobby

Craft & Hobby is the leading creative resource for public, school and academic libraries providing access to educational tutorials in over 22 categories ranging from crochet to cooking, woodworking to watercolor and photography to paper crafts. Patrons and students can learn new hobbies or improve their skills with over 5,000 hours of expert-led video demonstrations available on-demand. 

About TN Marketing

TN Marketing is a global media company that creates highly engaged communities of experts, enthusiasts, and hobbyists. With a presence in over 170 countries, the company is dedicated to engaging people with their passions and empowering them to explore their interests and unleash their creativity. TN Marketing's mission is to build a global community of individuals who are passionate about learning new skills and techniques and eager to share their knowledge and experience with others. For more information, please visit www.tnmarketing.com. 

About Minitex

Minitex is a state-funded library network located at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Its mission is to strengthen libraries, cultural institutions, and the communities they serve throughout Minnesota and in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and beyond. Supported by funding from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the Minnesota Department of Education, Minitex administers eLibrary Minnesota (ELM) to provide access to research, learning, and information databases at no cost to Minnesota residents. Learn more at minitex.umn.edu and elibrarymn.org.

Media Contact
Barrett Evans
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SOURCE TN Marketing