Visiting the NC Archives -- Part V -- Guides to Help You With Your Visit!

Visiting the NC Archives -- Part V -- Guides to Help You With Your Visit!

You've arranged your travel, lodgings and have some idea of what sessions you plan to visit! And, if you are planning a visit to the NC State Archives and the State Library of NC (remember that they are in the same building!), you might have decided what day you'll try for!

To assist you with your archives visit -- here are a few documents that you might find useful, both for understanding NC record availability and getting a sense of the "lay of the land" in the archives.

• NC Map showing "burned" counties and those with other sources of "record losses"
• A map showing the physical layout of the Archives search room (note that it is not to scale and gives you a sense of how it is organized)
• A map showing the physical layout of the Archives Microfilm room -- this self-service room might be an important part of your visit. Many records have been microfilmed and sometimes it's easier to access them via microfilm than requesting the originals -- almost half the microfilm machines permit you to print copies (8 1/2 x 11 or 11 x 17) for $.25 each!
• Instructions on how to request "copies" of original documents -- you found something, now you want a copy! These instructions will help expedite your request for those copies. Recognize that "bound volumes", maps and other type documents CANNOT be photocopied. Staff will be happy to talk with you about digitizing options and you might want to bring a camera with you just in case (note that you cannot use any flash!)

Important note: If you can't get into the NC archives when you want, don't despair -- in the same building you have two other resources available to you!

• (on the mezzanine) the Genealogy room of the State Library of NC can hold more people than the archives! It has an excellent collection of books for all NC counties, nearby states, etc and includes family histories, NC genealogy/history society journals, as well as an extensive microfilm collection.
• (on the first floor) you can access an extensive microfilm collection of North Carolina newspapers, check out this link for more info about this wonderful collection, http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/reference/newspapers.html