Getting to HMML

The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library is located on the campus of Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, which is 90 miles northwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul off Interstate 94 (exit 156), and 10 miles west of St. Cloud, Minnesota. For those of you coming from a distance, there are several airports servicing this area:

Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport (MSP). Flight arrangements may be made to Lindbergh or the Humphrey Terminal at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. For transportation from the airport to campus, we recommend Executive Express, which is a van shuttle service. Travel time is approximately two hours, and advance reservations are required. For schedules and online reservations see http://www.executiveexpress.biz/ or call them at 320-253-2226.

Saint Cloud Regional Airport (STC). This small airport is about 15 miles from Saint John's campus. From there, arrangements can be made to take a taxi to campus.

Accommodations

Saint John's University is located in a beautiful rural setting, 4 miles west of St. Joseph, Minnesota. There are a number of housing options in the nearby communities (St. Joseph, Avon, St. Cloud), but for the sake of economy and convenience you may want to consider a guest room on campus. We are happy to assist you in making room reservations. Please contact us at hmml@csbsju.edu at least two weeks in advance of your stay.

Emmaus Hall (a graduate student residence) is our most popular campus residence for scholars. Single rooms (dorm-style with sink, bathroom down the hall) and suites (dorm-style with private bath) are available, but please reserve early, because these rooms are in short supply during the summer months.

Mary Hall (an undergraduate student residence) is open to visiting scholars in the summer months and is conveniently located across the street from HMML.

The Abbey Guesthouse is also open to scholars, pending availability. All of the Abbey guestrooms have their own bathrooms and are air-conditioned. For more information see http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/guesthouse/index.html

Room Rates in 2008 (daily - weekly - monthly):

Emmaus Hall: Single ($30 - $125 - $395); Suite ($40 - $145 - $475)

Mary Hall: Single ($30 - $125 - $395) (Available in summer months only)

Abbey Guestroom: Single ($60 per night)

Researchers visiting HMML are each assigned a small office (cubicle style) in which to conduct their studies. This is their work area and will not be used by others during their stay. It is recommended, however, that valuable items, such as portable computers brought by the scholar be taken with them at the end of the workday, as the study areas are not secured.

Campus Facilities

The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library of Saint John's University is located on the grounds of Saint John's Abbey, one of the world's largest Benedictine monasteries. Campus guests are invited to join the monastic community for daily prayer and to enjoy the 2,400 acres of prairie, woodlands and lakes surrounding the campus.

The recreation facilities of Saint John's University are available for our scholars, including McGlynn's Fitness Center, the Warner Palaestra Pool, and Lake Sagatagan Beach (open during the summer months). Scholars will benefit from the collections and resources of Alcuin Library, which is adjacent to HMML. Borrowing privileges can be arranged.

Meals on Campus

Saint John's University offers two dining areas for visiting scholars. The Main Dining Hall (Refectory) serves three all-you-can-eat meals each day with several entrees, salad bars, desserts and more. The Sexton Commons Dining Room is a short-order dining space, offering pizza, burgers, sandwich deli and other items. If you prefer to cook for yourself, kitchen facilities are available in each of the residence halls.

The following technical resources are available to researchers::

Microfilm Reader
Each study carrel has a microfilm reader for the 35mm films used at HMML.

Microfilm Printer
Devices for making paper printouts from microfilms are located in the common study areas available to all at HMML. Researchers can make their own printouts, subject to the pricing and restrictions outlined here.

Microfilm Scanner
HMML has a device for making high-resolution grayscale digital images from microfilm. Due to the copyright agreements between HMML and its partner institutions, the scanning of manuscript films is subject to restrictions and must be done by HMML staff members.

Computer Network Connection
Each study carrel is equipped with an Ethernet computer network cable. This cable has a standard RJ-45 network plug on the end (looks a bit like an oversized modular telephone plug). Visitors can use their portable computers to connect to HMML's network for Email, Web use, and searching the HMML manuscript catalogue on line.

Public Computers (Windows PCs)
There are several "public" computers at HMML for researchers and student staff use; all are connected to the computer network. Visiting researchers can use these computer in lieu of bringing their own laptop computers if they wish. These computers are connected to several networked laser printers; scholars wishing to print their computer data have to move it from their own machines to one of these public computers.

Researchers should familiarize themselves with HMML's pricelist for goods and services for scholars. Guidelines for the use of HMML's microfilms can be downloaded here.

Things Visiting Researchers Need to Prepare:

Network Configuration for Laptop Computers
If researchers wish to use their own personal laptop computers on the HMML network, their machines must be configured to have:

• A functioning network port that accepts the RJ45-type plug.
• Network settings for their computer set for TCP/IP networking using DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) addressing.

Means of Transferring Data from Laptop to Public PC for Laser Printing
Visitors' computers are unable to connect to HMML's networked laser printers, so some means of transferring data from a personal computer to one of the public computers is needed if printing is desired.

Small files can easily be transferred via standard 3.5" diskettes. Larger amounts of data are most easily handled using the popular USB "flash drives" that look like keychain pendants with USB plugs.

Means of Handling Large Amounts of Scanned Microfilm Data
With the proper permissions from partner institutions, it is possible to produce very large amounts of digital data by scanning microfilm frames. Visitors should prepare for the storage and ultimate retrieval of this data in some form that they can take with them upon the completion of their work. This can be done with portable external hard disk drives, USB flash drives of sufficient size, or recordable CD or DVD disks.

Questions about HMML's resources for scholars can be directed to:

Hill Museum & Manuscript Library
Bush Center
Box 7300
Saint John's University
Collegeville, MN 56321-7300
320-363-2217
hmml@csbsju.edu