FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I am planning a visit to the Manuscripts Department. Do I need to make an appointment?

No appointment is necessary. Our reference staff is available to assist you upon your arrival, and our holdings are all currently on site. Please review the information on our location and hours page and using materials page. We look forward to seeing you.

How can I get in touch with ________, whose papers are held by the Manuscripts Department?

Our reference services do not include assistance in locating or contacting persons represented in our collections, except when permission of the donor is required to use a collection.

I am trying to draw my family tree and write a family history. Do you have information about my ancestor __?

The Southern Historical Collection holds manuscripts concerning many, but by no means all, North Carolinians and other southerners. Manuscripts are the private papers of individuals and families or the records of organizations collected primarily for historical research. Private papers are not, in most cases, as comprehensive or as useful as public records are for genealogists. Public records, including birth and death notices, marriage licenses, tax records, deeds and wills, and census records for North Carolinians are held by the North Carolina State Library and the Office of Archives and History. The State Library has a genealogy section and staff trained to assist genealogical researchers. You may also want to begin your research at your county's public records repository or at your local public library, particularly if they have a local history or genealogy room.

Can I get a copy of an episode of Charles Kuralt's "On the Road" series?

In accordance with United States copyright laws and statutes, we cannot make personal copies of commercially produced transcripts or broadcasts. You may visit the Manuscripts Department to use these materials in our Search Room. In advance of your visit, please contact Public Services at mss@email.unc.edu to check on the availability of viewing or listening copies.

Can I get a collection through interlibrary loan?

If a collection or a portion of a collection is available on microfilm, you may request the film through the interlibrary loan office of any public, academic, or school library with which you are affiliated. The interlibrary loan office should contact the UNC-Chapel Hill University Library's Interlibrary Lending Department. Please note that the Manuscripts Department does not loan original materials or other items, and we do not participate in document delivery services.

Can I receive copies of materials contained in a collection?

You may request copies. Please note that the Manuscripts Department reserves the right to refuse a duplication request in whole or in part at any time. We may not be able to fill the request due to the fragility of the original items, the volume of your request, or donor restrictions. A request for copies requires the completion of registration and duplication agreement forms, and the signature of the requester. If we can fill your request, we will be happy to send the forms and billing paperwork to you. For more details, please see our duplication policies.