Archival Research -
First Steps
- Step 1: Think about these questions
- Step 2: Get the basic facts about your topic of interest
- Step 3: Use our web site to find records and information about records
- Step 4: Decide if you should visit us in person
Step 4: Decide if you should visit us in person
If you need to see records that are not available on our web site or other web sites, you may need to contact us, visit us, or hire an independent researcher to continue your research.
- Contact us
We perform limited research for the public. Please read more about our Services for Offsite Researchers.
- Send us an e-mail.
- Call us at 1-86NARA-NARA
(1-866-272-6272)
- Write to us at:
The National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20408
- Send us an e-mail.
- Visit us
- Read about planning your visit.
- Find the National Archives location nearest to you, and find out whether the holdings located there relate to your topic.
- Read about our Research Support Services
- Read about planning your visit.
- Hire an independent researcher
Our staff is available to provide reference assistance to you. However, if you find that you require extensive research assistance, we offer you the following lists of researchers who are available for hire. (Note: Researchers for hire are not National Archives employees. Learn more...)
If you can identify the records precisely enough to order copies, you may order copies of some record types online, or you may order copies through us or approved vendors.
Was this information helpful to you? Please let us know. If you'd like to link your web site to our web site, you are welcome to do so.
Introduction | Go To Step: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |