Digital Collections
Saint Paul Public Library Collections on Minnesota Reflections
Digitzed images of maps and documents about the history of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Public Library.
Aerial Photographic Atlas
Aerial photographs of Saint Paul taken between 1925 and 1927 and a corresponding atlas of streets and other features of the city.
Atlas of Saint Paul, 1891 - 1896
Highly detailed plat book of Saint Paul. Published in 1891 and revised with pencil marks and cut-outs through 1896. The atlas is divided into 4 volumes, detailing different parts of the City and the surrounding area.
Central Library Construction
Photographs of the construction of the Central Library and James J. Hill Library, 1914-1917. Besides the library, photographs are rich in other details of the late 1910's.
Library Beacon
"The Library Beacon" was published under the direction of Webster Wheelock, Library Director, "to give the people of St. Paul information about their Library -- what it is doing, what it hopes to do, and the many ways it serves individuals, different interests, groups and different activities." Published 1929-1936.
Saint Paul Housing Project: A Plan for Slum Clearance and Low Cost Housing (1935)
Details a proposal for slum clearance and the creation of low cost rental housing at the future site of the Mt. Airy Homes development. Introductory text describe the nature of the project, site selection and district selection, current real estate balance at the time, the development itself, outside housing influences, costs, and personnel. Printed maps provide detail on census enumeration districts, relief cases, tuberculosis cases, delinquency rates, land values, comparative incomes, and comparative rent.
Maps of Saint Paul, Ramsey County and Minnesota
See the list detailing each map, its size, year of publication, and location in the library's map cabinet:
Biography Clippings File
Over 150,000 newspaper clippings from Northwest Publications Inc., former publishers of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch, covering the years 1910 to 1945.
Find out more and access the index.
City Directories
Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and area directories dating back to 1856.
Newspapers on Microfilm
Minnesota newspapers available on microfilm at the Central Library.Near complete runs of all Saint Paul newspapers are available.
Visit the Saint Paul Collection
The Saint Paul Collection room at the Central Library is open to the public by appointment during the hours of 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
Customers are asked to call or email for an appointment 48 hours in advance. Appointments can be made for up to one hour.
To schedule an appointment please call 651-266-7000 x5, or email spplinfo@ci.stpaul.mn.us.
During other hours, staff can retrieve items from the collection for use in the Nicholson Information Commons.
The collection includes:
- City documents, including the charter, code, laws, and ordinances
- City Council proceedings
- City budget materials and annual reports
- Reports from the Schools and Libraries
- Police and Fire Department reports and histories
- Visitor's Guides to Saint Paul and the region
- Biographies of famous St. Paul residents
- Winter Carnival scrapbooks
- High School Yearbooks
- Maps
- Other materials related to Saint Paul history
