About

Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Closed Saturday, Sunday, and the following county holidays:

Directions

The Hennepin County Law Library is located inside the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis, between 3rd and 4th Avenues South.

Once inside the Government Center, go through security in the courts tower on the Skyway level. Take the elevator to the 24th floor.

Map

Light rail and bus

The Blue and Green light rail lines stop at the Government Plaza Station in front of the Government Center. Many downtown buses also stop along the streets surrounding the building.

Plan your route

Visit MetroTransit

Parking

You must pay to park in downtown Minneapolis. You can park in nearby lots, ramps, or metered spots along the street.

Parking options

You can make copies yourself for $0.10 per copy. Law librarians also provide document services for a fee.

Fees

A $5 handling fee applies to each order unless paying in full upon pickup. Copyright royalty fees may also apply.

• Copy (mail or hold for pickup): $0.50 per page
• Email (if available electronically): $10 per citation
• Scan and email: $1 per page

Payment methods

The law library accepts cash, checks and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover; $5 minimum for cards) for copy/print/scan services. Non-subscribers must pre-pay for all document services.

Subscribers have unlimited checkout privileges.

Non-subscriber residents of Hennepin County or those residing within 25 miles of the Law Library may only check out volumes published by Nolo Press, the National Consumer Law Center, or volumes in West's Nutshell series (see list of titles).

Statutes and digests

• Two days
• Three renewals allowed

Treatises, reporters and periodicals

• 14 days
• Two renewals allowed

Minnesota reference materials (includes CLEs)

• 14 days
• One renewal allowed

Popular library materials

• 14 days
• One renewal allowed

Renewals

• You can renew materials by phone
• Subscribers can also renew online using their barcode.  Request your barcode.
• Renew online (please call 612-348-3022 to renew overdue materials)

After-hours book return

Return law library books after hours using our drop box. The box is located inside the northeast entrance by the security guard's desk, on the side of the building that faces the Government Plaza light rail station.

Visitors can use law library computers for one hour per day to access the Internet, Westlaw and Lexis. Subscribers have unlimited computer access.

The law library has a conference room that can be used for no charge.  The conference room seats twelve and has a flexible table configuration.  Reserve up to 90 days ahead by calling 612-348-3022 or emailing lawlibrary@hennepin.us.

Anyone can use the law library study room at no charge (first-come, first served).  The study room is large enough for two people.

Get current information about law library programs and resources, including the monthly New Books list.

The Hennepin County Law Library is conducting orientation sessions for 2025 summer associates again this year. Sessions are free and live-streamed via Microsoft Teams.

We are offering four sessions:

• Thursday, May 29 from 10:00-11:00 am
• Friday, May 30 from 2:00-3:00 pm
• Wednesday, June 4 from 3:00-4:00 pm
• Friday, June 6 from 10:30-11:30 am

Each session will include an introduction to our collection, our remote resources, and the services HCLL can provide to you.  There will also be an opportunity for a question and answer session.

While the sessions are designed to introduce new users to the law library, anyone is welcome to sign up to get a refresher on how we can help you.

We must have an email address for each live-stream participant so they can receive a Teams meeting invitation.

Please send your list of participant names, emails, and selected dates to us at law.library@hennepin.us or register by phone at 612-348-2903.

The library gets its funds from court fees, user fees and the Hennepin County general fund.

According to Minnesota statute, a board of trustees governs the law library. View the statute (Chapter 134A). Trustees include three judges, three practicing attorneys and a member of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners.

Board of Trustees meetings 

• June 7, 2024 Agenda
• June 1, 2023 Agenda, Minutes
• June 30, 2022 Agenda, Minutes
• July 29, 2021 Agenda, Minutes
• June 11, 2020 Corrected Agenda, Minutes

Trustees

The Honorable Patrick D. Robben, President
Fourth Judicial District Court Judge

Tom Walsh, Vice-President
Practicing attorney

Lisa Marie Buck
Practicing attorney

Commissioner Angela Conley
Hennepin County Commissioner

The Honorable Joseph Klein
Fourth Judicial District Court Judge

The Honorable Nelson Peralta
Fourth Judicial District Court Judge

Jessica Sharpe
Practicing attorney

Secretary to the board 

Karen E. Westwood, Law Library Director

Contact a trustee

To contact a trustee, write to:
(Board member’s name), care of law library director

Staff

Director:  Karen Westwood, karen.westwood@hennepin.us | 612-348-7977

Outreach Librarian:  Audrey Cashmore, audrey.cashmore@hennepin.us

Reference:

• Ed Carroll, edward.carroll@hennepin.us
• Rich Harrington, richard.harrington@hennepin.us

Office specialists:

• Tali Huseby, natalia.huseby@hennepin.us
• Allie Sanford, allie.sanford@hennepin.us

Bylaws

Law library bylaws (amended February 25, 2016) (PDF)

General Rules

General Rules of the Anne W. Grande Law Library (approved April 4, 2017) (PDF)

History

The law library began in 1883, when the Minneapolis Bar Association established it, using donated books from members. The library’s first home was a room in a building on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. Within its first dozen years, the library grew to 7,000 volumes, and fire destroyed it twice. The bar association rebuilt it both times with insurance proceeds.

In 1934, the bar association donated its 35,000 volumes to Hennepin County. Housed in various locations for much of its life, the library moved to its present space in the Government Center in 1976.

The law library is named for Anne W. Grande, who served as law librarian for 33 years, from 1975-2008.

Today, the library provides materials and assistance to over 13,000 people a year, both attorneys and members of the public, so they can research cases and issues related to the present-day practice of law.