Research Tables and Computers

• The Library is open for in-person research Thursday through Saturday (10am to 4pm).

Researchers can access non-microfilm materials from the collection at Research Tables.  This includes state and local government records, manuscript collections, photographs, books, maps, and more.  This is also the space where researchers can access digital searches or subscription databases (like Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com).

(Interested in making a Microfilm Station appointment, instead? Visit https://mnhs.libcal.com/reserve/microfilm)

Station Types:

• Research Tables
  A research table and the use of shared computer stations.  Physical collection materials can be viewed at these stations.  (Please note that not all materials are available same-day.)  
   
• Computer-Only Stations
  Designed to be used independently for accessing subscription databases (like Ancestry.com, fire insurance maps, and newspaper searches) or doing web-based historical research.  Researchers can print to library's printer for a per page fee.  Thumb drives and outside media cannot be used on these machines. 

Physical collections materials--books, maps, archival/manuscript boxes, photographs, etc.--cannot be viewed at Computer-Only Stations.  If you would like to request physical materials, you must be located at a Research Table. 

All stations have wifi access through the "MHS Public" for personal devices, and no wifi password is required while in the Library.  

About appointments:

• See the main page of our appointment system for more information 

How to use the Schedule Grid:

• Scroll down to see the schedule grid.  It defaults to the current day. 
   
• For the next day with available appointments, click the Next Available button
   
• For available appointments on a particular Friday or Saturday, click the Go To Date button and select a day on the calendar.  
   
• For a description of a particular station, click on the blue "Info" button next to its name. 
   
• To make an appointment, select an available (green) appointment time so that it turns yellow, then scroll beneath the calendar grid and click Submit Times.  Then enter all required information and click Submit My Booking. 
   
• To correct a booking error message (usually too many, too frequent, or concurrent appointments), scroll down to the list of appointments below the schedule grid until you see the list of appointment times selected. Then click the trashcan icon to remove one or more appointment.  
   
• To research all day make appointments for both morning (10am to 1pm) and afternoon (1pm to 4pm).   
   
• Important!  There are two pages of appointment stations.  To see more stations, use the number or arrow buttons below the grid.  
   

• If there are no open/available appointment slots (all appointment blocks are red, rather than green)...

  • and it is within 8 hours of the appointment start time: Appointments close in the self service system 4 hours prior to the appointment.     

  • and it is more than 8 hours from the appointment time: All appointments have already been claimed by other researchers. Please check the scheduling site again; if a researcher cancels their appointment it will open back up for another researcher to claim.      

• If you cannot find an appointment time and 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 assist you on a day we are open to in-person research.