Minnesota Legislative Reference Library

Minnesota Legislative Reference Library
Name	Minnesota Legislative Reference Library
Established	1944
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Type	Legislative library
Director	Julie Anderson

Minnesota Legislative Reference Library is the official research library serving the Minnesota Legislature and the public in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It provides nonpartisan research assistance, archival resources, and legislative history tools to members of the Minnesota House of Representatives, the Minnesota Senate, legislative staff, and citizens. The Library works closely with state institutions such as the Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota State Archives, and national organizations including the American Library Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Council of State Governments.

History

The Library was created during a period of institutional reform alongside entities like the Legislative Reference Service and the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library model, reflecting mid-20th century trends in legislative staffing associated with figures such as Hubert Humphrey, Orville Freeman, and policy movements driven by the New Deal and the G.I. Bill. Early collections documented major state actions including the passage of the Minnesota Miracle and the enactment of statutes following the 1934 Minnesota gubernatorial election and later elections involving leaders like J. A. O. Preus and Arne Carlson. Over decades the Library expanded in parallel with legislative milestones such as the adoption of the Minnesota Voter ID laws, the response to events like Hurricane Katrina in intergovernmental contexts, and state implementation of federal measures including Medicaid expansions and the Clean Air Act adaptations.

Organization and Governance

Governance structures mirror those used by institutions like the Library of Congress, the New York State Library, and the California State Library, while retaining a unique relationship with the Minnesota Legislature and the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. The Library reports administratively to legislative leadership comparable to the oversight roles of the Joint Committee on Legislative Operations or the Minnesota Legislative Coordinating Commission, and collaborates with committees such as the House Rules Committee and the Senate Committee on Government Operations. Leadership positions have been held by directors who liaise with professional organizations including the Association of College and Research Libraries and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

Collections and Services

The Library's collections include legislative journals, committee minutes, bill files, audio-visual recordings, and historical newspapers similar to holdings in the Minnesota Historical Society, the Hennepin County Library, and the University of Minnesota Libraries. Holdings document legislative action on topics connected to statutes like the Minnesota Human Rights Act, budgets tied to the Minnesota Department of Revenue, and regulatory materials influenced by agencies such as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Services include reference assistance, interlibrary loan arrangements with the State Library of Iowa, digitization projects akin to those at the National Archives, and maintenance of indexes comparable to the Government Printing Office records. Special collections preserve materials related to prominent legislators such as Hubert Humphrey, Rudy Perpich, and Walter Mondale as well as legislative souvenirs and photographs documenting sessions in the Minnesota State Capitol.

Legislative Support and Research

Staff provide bill tracking, legal and policy backgrounders, and historical precedent research used by members of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate, similar to services provided by the Congressional Research Service to the United States Congress. Research topics span fiscal notes referenced by the Minnesota Management and Budget office, analyses affecting programs under the Minnesota Department of Health, and statutory interpretation that intersects with opinions from the Minnesota Supreme Court. The Library supports redistricting cycles informed by the United States Census Bureau data, collaborates on ethics guidance with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, and provides testimony or briefings before committees including the House Taxes Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Public Access and Outreach

The Library offers public access to collections much like the New York Public Library's civic resources and partners with community institutions such as the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and the Minnesota Humanities Center. Outreach includes research workshops, exhibits coordinated with the Minnesota History Center, tours of the Minnesota State Capitol, and educational programming aimed at students from the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, and St. Olaf College. The Library’s digital initiatives mirror efforts by the Library of Congress and the Digital Public Library of America to provide online finding aids, and staff engage through social media, public lectures, and collaborations with news organizations such as the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune.

Notable Projects and Publications

Notable projects include compilation of legislative session histories, curated bibliographies on policy subjects like transportation in Minnesota and public health in Minnesota, and digitization efforts comparable to the HathiTrust Digital Library and the Minnesota Digital Library. Publications include research reports, legislative briefs, and guides to legislative procedure used by the Minnesota Legislature and educational institutions like the Hamline University School of Law. The Library has produced reference works utilized in scholarship on figures such as Ole Evinrude, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and policy studies tied to events like the Lake Superior Shipping history and infrastructure projects such as the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse recovery documentation.

Category:Libraries in Minnesota Category:Legislative libraries Category:Organizations based in Saint Paul, Minnesota