General Research Requests
The Research Center of the Montana Historical Society maintains a large collection of library, archival and photographic materials relating to the history of Montana and the west.
If you are unable to visit our Research Center to conduct your own research, the staff will answer general research questions for a fee. This fee must be prepaid and is nonrefundable:
Montana Historical Society Members : Free
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includes first half hour of research and up to 10 copies
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$20 per hour plus copies after that
Montana residents: $5
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includes first half hour of research and up to 10 copies
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$20 per hour plus copies after that
Non-Montana residents: $20
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includes first half hour of research and up to 10 copies
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$20 per hour plus copies after that
Please complete the attached General Research Request Form (Word document) and mail it to us with your prepayment. If you cannot access this electronic form please let us know. We'd be happy to mail it to you. We must have the following information before we can answer your request:
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Your name
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Your mailing address
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Your telephone number
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Your email address (optional)
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A clear and concise question/subject to be researched
Fees are charged for the staff time involved in doing the research, whether or not an answer is found. You will receive a written summary of research performed, whether or not the search was successful.
Because of limited staff time, we can do searches in our collections only if your query is concise, clear, and specific. Requests that do not indicate what specific information you seek cannot be answered and will be returned.
All reference requests are handled in the order they are received. Turn-around time is 15-20 business days, dating from the receipt of payment.
Providing research information does not imply permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright that may be involved in use of the collections. For more information about reproduction policy please send your queries to mhslibrary@mt.gov.
