New: Take a virtual tour of the Special Collections Room
Materials in this room have been collected by State Law Librarians since the Minnesota Territorial Legislature established the Library on March 3, 1849. Before the Minnesota Judicial Center was constructed in 1990, then State Law Librarian Marvin Anderson dreamed of an appropriate and pleasing space to house these special materials. For making this dream a reality, the room was named the Marvin R. Anderson Special Collections Room in his honor when he retired in 2002.
The focus of the special collection is early Minnesota legal history, with additional titles relating to Minnesota-based cases and history. Writings by and about Minnesota Supreme Court Justices also make up an important part of the collection. The Minnesota Justices Series, produced by the State Law Library, details the legal careers of many recent Minnesota Supreme Court Justices. In addition, we have materials from the territorial days of many other U.S. states. Other collection areas are legal history (which includes some ancient legal and religious documents), Minnesota history, jurisprudence and legal philosophy.
Materials are arranged by Library of Congress Classification numbers, starting on the left as you enter the room. Minnesota briefs and calendar books are shelved separately. Since spine labels are not used on rare or delicate materials, call numbers—as well as author and title information—can be found on cards inserted into the books like a bookmark. The colors of these cards also denote the condition of the book. A pink card indicates that the book is in particularly delicate condition and must be handled with special care. A cream colored card indicates the book is stable.
Materials in the Special Collections Room do not circulate. If a book needs to be borrowed, permission may be granted by the Head of Technical Services or the State Law Librarian.
The Special Collections Room is available for tours or research by appointment. To preserve the collections, the following rules apply:
