THE AMERICAN-SC AN DIN AVIAN RE VIE IV 
177 
The Minnesota Historical Library Where the Collection of the Swedish Historical 
Society Is Housed 
work for the establishment of a large library 
of Scandinavian-American historical material. 
During the past six years this Society has 
from time to time acquired valuable collec¬ 
tions in this field, including the O. N. Nelson 
library of approximately two thousand items. 
But by far the most important step toward 
the realization of its plans for a strong central 
library of Scandinavian-American history was 
taken when some months ago an agreement 
was effected by the Minnesota Historical So¬ 
ciety and the Swedish Historical Society of 
America, whereby the former becomes the per¬ 
manent custodian of the library of the latter 
organization. By virtue of this agreement the 
valuable Swedish collection, consisting of 
approximately six thousand items and gath¬ 
ered during the Society’s fifteen years of ex¬ 
istence, has been placed in the magnificent 
new Minnesota Historical Society building in 
St. Paul, and the work of cataloguing is now 
going on. The Swedish Historical Society 
plans to push still more energetically than in 
the past its search for all kinds of docu¬ 
mentary evidence in the field of Swedish- 
American history. Present plans also con¬ 
template a resumption of the publication of 
the Year Book of the Society, which, on ac¬ 
count of war conditions, has not appeared for 
several years. 
Public Meetings 
To further stimulate interest in Swedish- 
American history, public meetings will be held 
under the auspices of the Swedish Historical 
Society either at the Twin Cities or in other 
old Swedish communities, at which pro¬ 
grammes of an historical character will be 
given. An auspicious beginning was made 
at a well-attended public session of the 
Society held in the Minnesota Historical 
Library in the latter part of November. 
Splendid addresses in the field of Swedish- 
American history were made by Judge An¬ 
drew Holt, associate justice of the Supreme 
Court of Minnesota, and Dr. George M. 
Stephenson of the history department of the 
University of Minnesota. Both speakers are 
decendants of early Swedish immigrants in 
Minnesota and Illinois respectively, and they 
have retained a deep interest in the Swedish 
language and in the culture of their people 
in this country. 
The officers of the Swedish Historical So¬ 
ciety are Professor A. A. Stomberg, presi¬ 
dent; Senator J. A. Jackson, vice-president; 
the Honorable C. J. Svendsen, treasurer; the 
Honorable A. G. Johnson, recording secre¬ 
tary; Alfred Soderstrom, corresponding sec¬ 
retary. The man who has initiated the policy 
of making the Minnesota Historical Library 
a center for Scandinavian-American material 
is Dr. Solon J. Buck, superintendent of the 
library. 
