Legislative Reference Library
& Library Subcommittee

The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library serves the Legislature and the citizens of Minnesota by ensuring access to essential information resources that support the legislative process and promote the understanding of state government. The Library is committed to maintaining a print and electronic collection of current and historical materials to support effective public policy development, and to document the work of the Minnesota Legislature.

Minnesota Statutes, 3.302 establishes the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library and outlines the Library’s purpose and collection requirements. Minnesota Statutes, 3.3025 outlines the duties and powers of the Library director. Additional sections of statute outline other requirements and duties of the Legislative Reference Library and its role in collecting materials.

The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library grew out of a national movement in the mid-1960s to increase professionalism and staff support in state legislatures. The Library was established in November 1968 “to meet a need for informational service for both houses of the Legislature.” Before the 1969 legislative session was over the Legislature formally established the Library in law (Laws of Minnesota 1969, chapter 1130).

Experienced librarians help legislators and staff obtain information, using a variety of print and electronic sources. Librarians welcome in-depth inquiries or requests for quick facts, statistics, or background on issues. All requests are confidential and all library staff are nonpartisan.

Librarians have particular expertise in state policy issues, the history of legislation, and the activities of the Legislature and legislators over time. The Library's state public policy collection is broad and deep, and expanded by extensive online resources and interlibrary loan.

The Library's premier public policy collection of print and digital materials focuses on state-level issues and comparative statistics. The Library is Minnesota's depository library for state agency and consultant's reports. The Library tracks, acquires, and makes available electronically all reports mandated by the Legislature. The Library's catalog links to digital copies of state agency documents archived by the Library. All documents from 2003 to the present are available digitally, with older documents added to the digital collection on a selected, ongoing basis.

Additional highlights of the print and digital collection include:

• Newspapers: The Library purchases access to the full text of many regional newspapers for legislative users, including the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, and Duluth News Tribune, and many other newspapers, and facilitates online access.
• Media coverage: News resources on legislators and legislative policy issues include extensive print files from 1970-2009, and an in-house electronic news archive from 2009 - present.
• Legislative history materials: The collection, required by the rules of the House and Senate, includes committee minutes and recordings of committee meetings and floor sessions. Staff members are experienced and knowledgeable about the often-complicated process of researching legislative history.
• Historical statistics: Biographical information and details about legislative service for every member since territorial times is found in the Legislators Past and Present database. The Library publishes historical lists of legislative and state government information. The Time Capsule database integrates a variety of information by legislative session.

The Legislative Reference Library is a joint legislative agency under the Legislative Coordinating Commission.
Each biennium, a Library Subcommittee made of up four legislators, two from the House and two from the Senate, is appointed.