Research Request Form and Policy

Research Levels

The State Historical Society of Missouri offers 4 levels of research service.

• Level 1: Finding Aids Search

  
  Staff members will search finding aids to the Society’s holdings free of charge for one person, one event, one institution, or one place. Finding aids include card catalogs, and databases.

• Level 2: Newspaper Research: Obituaries, Marriages, Births

  
  Include name, exact date, and place. Use the Missouri Newspaper Search Request Form.

• Level 3: Specific Research

  
  Staff will conduct up to 30 minutes of research. Submit only one specific event, person, place, or question per request. If a request is submitted with multiple questions, staff choose one discernible question to research. Prepayment of Research Fee is required and does not guarantee success.

• Level 4: General Research

  
  Staff will conduct up to 60 minutes of research. Submit non-specific or general requests requiring research. Prepayment of Research Fee is required and does not guarantee success..

Submit one request at a time. Do not send another research request before receiving a reply.

Only requests for Level 1: Finding Aids Search may be submitted by telepone. All other requests must be in writing by using our research request form (below), e-mail, postal mail, fax.

Most inquiries will be answered within two to four weeks.

Fee includes one photocopy and mailing costs. You will be contacted concerning additional photocopy costs if necessary.

Research requests that incur fees must be accompanied by payment before research can be done.

Residency is determined by the return address.

Please be sure the form is filled out completely and accurately with:

• your full name
• postal address
• e-mail address

We will not respond without this information. It is needed for our response and reporting purposes only.

ResearchFees

Prepayment of Research Fee is Required and does not guarantee success.

	Finding Aids (see above)	Newspaper Research	Specific Research (see above)	General Research (see above)
State Historical Society members	Free	$5.00	$5.00	$10.00
Missouri nonmembers	Free	$10.00	$10.00	$15.00
Out-of-state nonmembers	Free	$10.00	$15.00	$20.00

Research Request Form

Fields marked with an * are required.

Your Name:*
Are you a member?*	Yes No
Membership number, if known:	(The membership number is located on your membership card and on each mailing label you receive from the Society.)
Address:*
City:*
State:*
Zip:*
E-Mail Address:*
Which department do you wish to contact?	Newspaper Collection Reference Collection Map Collection Photograph Collection Art Collection Membership/Book Sales Other/Don't know
Please provide relevant information concerning your research and interest in the State Historical Society of Missouri holdings. Genealogists should include the full names, the locations (city and county), the birth and death dates of ancestors, and the type of information you wish to find.*
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Please type the phrase: (case-sensitive)

 

 

If you are unable to complete and send your request using this form, please put the information requested above in an e-mail and send it to shsofmo@umsystem.edu.

© The State Historical Society of Missouri, 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, Missouri 65201
800–747–6366 | shsofmo@umsystem.edu