Researchers can make an in-person appointment in the self-service system, using any computer or mobile device. 

Make a Reading Room Appointment
Accessing physical collection materials and using computers (Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, etc.)

Make a Microfilm Appointment
Using machines to view newspapers, death certificates, and other microfilmed materials 

If you don't know which type of appointment would work best for you: Please call us at 651-259-3300

Advanced appointments are not required, but have a number of benefits:

• Guarantee a table/station in the research room of your choice
• Items can be waiting at your table when you arrive!  Use the link in your confirmation email to request up to 3 items in advance.
• Save waiting time on your next visit by holding materials for a future date/time.
• Reserve a specific type of microfilm machine (scanner, printer) or a dedicated computer-only station
• Receive direct email communication in cases of unplanned closures like winter weather.  
• Specify if you have particular needs for your workstation (near an electrical outlet, accessible table, number of chairs at your table)--we’ll do our best to accommodate
• Help with library preparation by indicating if you will be working with oversized materials, photographic negatives, institutional records, legislative research, etc.  
• Same day research appointments can be made when you arrive onsite, but they are subject to availability.  

About Appointments

• Offered when we are open for in-person research: Thursday to Saturday (10am to 4pm)
• Open on a rolling basis, several weeks in advance.
• Appointments close in this self service system 12 hours before the start of the appointment time.
  • To make an advance appointment within 12 hours of the start-time, call 651-259-3300.  

• Researchers should arrive within the first hour of their appointment time or contact us to say that they will be late.  

  • Similar to a restaurant reservation, if you are more than an hour late and haven’t contacted us, we will open your table/station to same-day researchers
  • If you are not able to make your appointment, please cancel using the link in your confirmation email or call us.  This will open up your space to another researcher!
• Offered as individual appointments or appointments for 2 or 3 people 
  • Note: Each appointment is for one station/table, and all researchers on the appointment will be looking at the exact same materials.  If you plan to work separately, please make separate appointments with different email addresses.  
• There are currently no limits to the number of appointments per researcher per week 
• Researchers can come and go during their appointment time (for breaks, etc.).
• Appointments are specific to one room (Reading Room or Microfilm)
  • You cannot make simultaneous appointments in both spaces in the self-service system because you cannot be actively working in two spaces at the same time  
  • If you complete work in one room and would like to use the other, please ask staff to see if there are available stations!
• Research stations are scheduled with back-to-back appointments. Researchers with morning appointments are welcome to stay into the afternoon, but may need to switch machines/tables.  Please communicate with Library staff.      

 
If there are no open/available appointment slots (all appointment blocks are red, rather than green), this means that all appointments have already been claimed by other researchers.   

If you have a true research emergency (e.g. an immediate court filing deadline) and cannot find an appointment time, call us at 651-259-3300.  We will do our best to help you. 

If you do not have an emergency, please check the scheduling site again; if a researcher cancels their appointment it will open back up for another researcher to claim.      

We are open to in-person research all day Thursday through Saturday (10am to 4pm), and appointments are 3 hours long. 

If you would like a full-day appointment, just sign up for two consecutive appointments!   

Thursday 10am to 4pm

Friday      10am to 4pm 

Saturday 10am to 4pm