Research Fees
All research requests will be classified into one of the following categories. Photocopies and postage are not included in the fees below.
On this page:
- Information Requests
- Local Newspaper Obituary/Article Searches
- Birth and Death Certificate Searches
- Society Staff On-site Research Service
- Society Staff Off-site Research Service
- Self-directed Research for Members
- Self-directed Research for Non-Members
- Self-directed Student Research for Non-Members
- Access to Special Collections
- Information Requests - No Fee
- We know we cannot provide the information requested or
- We know the answer and can provide it without research.
- Local Newspaper Obituary/Article Searches - $20 to $40 each
- If day, month, and year of death/article are provided: $20 for the search and first obituary/article and $10 for each additional obituary/article.
- If only month and year of death are provided: $40 for the search and first obituary and $20 for each additional obituary.
- If the month of death is not known, we cannot do an obituary search.
- If the full date of an article is not known, we cannot do an article search.
- Harrisburg Birth and Death Certificate Searches - $10 each
- Only City of Harrisburg certificates are available and these only for certain dates. At minimum, the month and year of birth/death must be provided.
- Available in HSDC's collections: Birth - Jan. 1915 thru 1918; Death - Feb. 6, 1906 thru 1918.
- Available in the Harrisburg City Archives collections (which we can also retrieve for you): Birth - 1906 thru 1938; Death - Jul. 1883 thru Sep. 1884; Jan. 1890 thru Feb. 1905; and 1906 thru 1935.
- Society Staff On-site Research Service - $20/hour, $40 minimum
- We will consult our manuscript groups, photograph collections, and library resources to answer your inquiry.
- This service includes genealogical inquiries where we will search HSDC's church and cemetery records.
- Society Staff Off-site Research Service - $25/hour, $50 minimum
- We will search the holdings of the State Archives, Harrisburg City Archives, State Library, or the Dauphin County Courthouse as necessary to answer your inquiry.
- This service does not include on-site research using HSDC's manuscript groups, photograph collections, and library resources. If your request requires us to search HSDC's collections as well, you will have to pay both the on-site and off-site fees.
- If you only need a birth/death certificate, obituary, or newspaper article, and you provide adequate information, you do not have to pay this fee. See instead the per-item fees above for the document you need.
- Self-directed Research for Members - No Fee
- Society members who wish to conduct their own research in the Library and/or most of the Archives.
- Membership starts at $35; student membership is available for $15.
- An additional fee may apply for certain collections.
- Self-directed Research for Non-Members - $10 per day
- Those who are not members of the Society but desire to do their own research in the Library and/or most of the Archives.
- Consider becoming a member if you plan to research for several days. Membership starts at $35.
- An additional fee may apply for certain collections.
- Student Self-directed Research for Non-Members - $5 per day
- All students doing their own research in the Library or Archives if not covered under an agreement between the Society and Penn State or another institution.
- Consider becoming a student member if you plan to research for several days. Student membership is just $15 per year. Contact us to join.
- An additional fee may apply for certain collections.
- Special Collections Fee - $20 per hour
- Applies to all situations (members and non-members) where it is necessary for a staff member to sit with the researcher in order to provide support or monitor handling of archival materials.
These Special Collections currently include:
MG 061 - Rutherford Family Collection
MG 062 - Rawn Collection
MG 070 - Elder Collection
MG 198 - John Harris Family Collection
MG 220 - Christian Kunkel Family Collection
MG 405 - Kelker Family Collection
MG 466 - McCormick Family Collection
MG 500 - Cameron Family Collection