State Library Services (Minnesota Dept. of Education)
Every resident of Minnesota has free access to a statewide library system run by State Library Services (Minnesota Dept. of Education). With a local library card, students, parents, and teachers can use research databases, ebooks and audiobooks, and learning programs at no cost. Here is what is available and how to get it.
Minnesota public libraries at a glance
Research databases: ELM (Electronic Library for Minnesota)
ELM (Electronic Library for Minnesota) is Minnesota's free statewide research service.
Resources students can use inside ELM (Electronic Library for Minnesota) include:
- EBSCO databases incl. Consumer Health Complete
- ELM Ebooks (MackinVIA)
- Information-literacy instruction videos
- Mncat Discovery statewide catalog
Ebooks & audiobooks: ELM Ebooks (MackinVIA); Ebooks Minnesota (Minitex), free with a library card.
Accessible reading & talking books
Students and family members who cannot read standard print (because of a visual, physical, or reading disability such as dyslexia) can get free audiobooks and braille through the state talking-book library, part of the national NLS network and its BARD download service. The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library (MBTBL) in Faribault, part of State Services for the Blind, is the state's NLS regional library; residents with print disabilities apply.
Find a library & get a card
Use the official locator to find your nearest Minnesota public library, hours, and how to get a card. Find a library →
Through MNLINK, you can borrow materials from libraries across the state by interlibrary loan.