Guarantees of service
Information about our guarantees of service include services for the reading room; enquiries; copying; outreach; publications orders; and website
Reading room services
Clients with special needs
We aim to meet the special needs of clients visiting our Reading Room. If you are a person with a disability and require special assistance please contact us before your visit. We will endeavour to provide any assistance you may require.
Staff assistance
Our Reading Room staff will offer expert and professional advice on all aspects of your research.
Retrieval of original records
We suggest that you preorder records in advance of your visit. This gives us time to process your requests and have the records ready before your visit to the Reading Room.
You may also request records during your visit to the Reading Room. Original (uncopied) records will be retrieved and delivered to you within 45 minutes.
Fragile records
A proportion of State archives are fragile and for this reason we may withhold access to the original archive until it has received attention from our Conservation staff.
Archives will be checked on a case by case basis as they are requested either in the Reading Room or for a copy order. If an archive requires conservation treatment there will be a delay in the archive being issued and/or copied. Conservation treatments can take up to six months to be completed.
You will be notified if there is going to be a delay in an archive being issued and/or copied and if there will be additional copying charges for special format copying.
Unprocessed accessions
From time to time researchers request access to accessions that are unlisted or only partially listed. It can be difficult to identify records in an accession and there is a risk that they can be disordered. Records in accessions may be fragile or closed to public access. They may contain material that is not required as a State archive.
Access to unprocessed accessions is only granted after careful consideration.
- We will provide copies of any existing lists of the accession as soon as possible
- We will provide advice on how the record may be accessed within 5 working days
- You will be notified if there is a delay
Enquiry services
Assistance provided
- We provide you with guidance as to likely sources and the current availability of archival material
- We provide assistance in validating personal information for rights and entitlement purposes
- We assist you in confirming the correct references for documents that you want to cite in a publication.
We do not provide a research service
While we do not undertake research on your behalf, a response to your enquiry will be sent within 20 working days. Working days are Mondays - Fridays, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. We will also refer you to organisations that maintain lists of professional researchers.
Copying services
In-house copying services
We can provide copies of most of the material we hold if you can supply the correct references to the records. Costs apply for this service. The standard turnaround for copying orders completed in-house is 15 working days.
External copying services
The standard turnaround time for copying orders completed externally is 20 working days. Working days are Mondays - Fridays, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Ordering copies online
You can order copies of many records in the State Archives Collection via our catalogue. Click on the shopping cart icon to select your item and follow the prompts to order and pay for your copies. There are fees for this service.
Digital copies of records that are open to public access and ordered through our copy service are uploaded to our catalogue for general use.
Urgent copying orders
Urgent orders - on application only. Please contact the Reprographics Officer at reporgraphics@mhnsw.au.
Outreach services
We aim to provide a range of webinars, talks, tours and seminars, which meet our clients' research needs. Fees may be charged for these activities.
- See What's On for upcoming webinars on the State Archives Collection
For further information contact the Manager, Access Services on +61 2 9673 1788 or email the Manager for more information at collections@mhnsw.au.
Website
We aim to maintain our website with timely and accurate information about our services and products.
How you can help
We appreciate any feedback about our services. Our staff are always happy to discuss ideas or concerns you may have about our services. Please feel free to raise any questions with the staff member with whom you are dealing or, if you prefer, someone else from the area. You are also most welcome to contact us about any aspect of our services.
