Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS), Gale Family Library

About

The Minnesota Historical Society library provides access to books, serials, newspapers, archival and manuscript materials, photographs, maps, audiovisual materials, digital resources, and more related to Minnesota's rich history, people, and culture. For those unable to come into the library we offer a variety of materials and research services online (www.mnhs.org) and answer questions by phone (651-296-2143), mail, and e-mail (reference@mnhs.org). 

Our Customers

Our primary audience is the general public; typical users include genealogists/family historians, local history researchers, students (grade school, high school, college), house history researchers, legal researchers, Civil War historians, the media, and a variety of history and other social science-related scholars and researchers. Users also include researchers in many other disciplines, from medical research to environmental research to architecture. 

Databases

These databases are available to walk-in users:

• Ancestry Library Edition

• ArchivesUSA

• Clio Digital Library Shelf (genealogy books and county histories)

• Digital Sanborn Maps (for Minnesota)

• Freedman's Bank Records index

• Heritage Quest Online

• Indian Photographs database

• Minneapolis Newspaper Portrait index

• Minnesota Birth Certificates index - *with images*

• Minnesota Photographers database

• Scandinavia Vital Records index

• 1895 Minnesota State Census index (currently Aitkin - Hennepin, Ramsey, and St. Louis counties)

Special Collections

• Art work (paintings, prints, drawings) - for a description of the art collection see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/art/art.htm; for the catalog, including digital images, see the Visual Resources Database at http://collections.mnhs.org/visualresources/.

• Audio collections

  • Oral histories - for a description of the oral history collection see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/oralhistory/oralhistory.htm

  • Other sound recordings - examples include the Bob Dylan Minnesota Party tape, Mexican and Chicano music in Minnesota, State Fair songs, recordings of Roger Erickson on WCCO Radio, Indian recordings

• Books, serials, and pamphlets - for a description of the book and serials collections see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/library/library.htm.

• Manuscripts - for a description of the manuscripts collection see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/manuscripts/manuscripts.htm.

• Maps and atlases - for a description of the map collection, including plat maps, see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/map/map.htm; for a small selection of digital maps online see Minnesota Maps Online at http://www.mnhs.org/collections/digitalmaps/index.htm.

• Moving images - for a description of the film and video collection see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/movingimages/movingimages.htm

• Music - for a description of the music collection see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/music/music.htm

• Newspapers - for a description of the largest collection of Minnesota newspapers see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/newspapers/index.htm; to find out what newspapers we have, search the AskRon Newspaper Database at http://collections.mnhs.org/newspapers/arsearch.html

• Photographs - for a description of the photograph collection see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/photograph/photograph.htm; for the catalog, including digital images, see the Visual Resources Database at http://collections.mnhs.org/visualresources/

• Posters - for a description of the poster collection see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/poster/poster.htm; for the catalog, including digital images, see the Visual Resources Database at http://collections.mnhs.org/visualresources/

• Railroad records - such as the Northern Pacific Railway Company; the Great Northern Railway Company; the Soo Line; the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Company; and the Twin City Rapid Transit Company

• State Archives - for a description of the archival collections see http://www.mnhs.org/collections/archives/archives.htm

  • Court records - District courts; probate, municipal, justice of the peace courts; Minnesota Supreme and Appellate courts; common record types include case files, judgment books, minute books, and naturalization records

  • Executive branch records - including the governor's office and other constitutional offices, boards and commissions, state agencies, state institutions; for the Minnesota Birth Certificates Index see http://people.mnhs.org/bci/; for the Minnesota Death Certificates Index see http://people.mnhs.org/dci/

  • Legislative records - including the original committee minutes and tape recordings of committee meetings

  • Local government records - cities and municipalities, counties, schools, townships, and other government organizations; examples of some record types include board minutes, school censuses, marriage records, county/township birth and death records, and tax lists and assessment records