Services
Services in the Missouri Valley Room
Staff are available during operating hours to answer questions, assist in locating materials, and provide instruction in utilizing MVSC resources. Personal visits are encouraged for the most effective research assistance. You may find the Plan a Visit page helpful in preparation for your visit.
Information Requests
Staff are happy to help with questions sent by telephone, email, or regular mail, however, email is the preferred method of correspondence. Queries are assigned to staff members in the order in which they are received. Allow a minimum of two business days for a response.
General Guidelines:
- Make your request as specific as possible, including all known names, dates, and places. For example, instead of asking, “Please send any information you have on John Doe and family of Kansas City, Mo.,” ask for specifics like, “Can you find where John Doe is buried in Kansas City?” or “Do you have any newspaper or magazines article about John Doe?” Providing us exactly what information you need helps expedite your request.
- Staff cannot provide in-depth research, i.e., requests requiring more than one-half hour of staff time to research. We can provide, however, a list of local researchers experienced in historical and genealogical research who can be hired for a fee.
- Requests should be limited to three individuals or events.
- Staff will search up to four years of telephone or city directories per lookup request.
- Obituary requests: See our Obituaries guide.
- Please do not submit the same request multiple times or to more than one staff person. Queries are directed to the appropriate staff in the order they are received.
Fees: There are no fees for staff research assistance. There is, however, a nominal fee to have materials photocopied and mailed (see below for details).
Photocopying & Printing
A self-service overhead book scanner is available for use in the Missouri Valley Room. Please keep in mind that there may be photocopy restrictions for rare and fragile materials.
Printing is also available using public computers and microfilm stations in the Missouri Valley Room.
Photocopy Requests: To request photocopies of collection items, you may use the online Photocopy Request Form or contact the Library’s Document Delivery service at:
Document@kclibrary.org
Phone: 816.701.3463
Fax: 816.791.3401
The fee for this service is $2.00 per item/article plus 10 cents per page.
Scanning
Patrons are free to scan, at no cost, microfilmed collections using microfilm reader/printers in the Missouri Valley Room. In addition to scanning books, magazines, and other print material, our overhead book scanner can be used to scan photographs and other collection items.
We also accept custom scanning requests for collection items which have not been digitized. Due to copyright restrictions, fragility, or size, however, some items may not be scanned. Please contact us to inquire about possible restrictions. Decisions will be made on an individual basis based on the condition of the original, type of materials, and staff availability.
Visit our Photo Order page for additional information and pricing.
Digital Images
Digital files of images from our Digital Collection are available for purchase. See the Order page for instructions and pricing.
Special Services/Appointments
To arrange for a group visit to the Missouri Valley Room, schedule a time to meet one-on-one with a librarian, request to have materials pulled in advance, or to request other special arrangements, please contact us via email or call 816.701.3427.