Requesting Archival Material

• by submitting your request in person in the reading room
• by contacting us by phone, fax, e-mail, or postal mail

If you show up in person, our staff will help you locate the relevant archival items in our catalogs and give you instructions on how to complete request forms. Usually, the archival material is brought to you in the reading room within 30 minutes of your request. At times, however, the relevant archival material may be located in another building, in which case its retrieval may take a little longer. It may also turn out that the sought-after material is restricted, and therefore not available upon request.

If you are ordering material by other means than by submitting your request in person, it is a precondition that you know exactly which archival items you wish to use. In that case, the reading room staff will complete your request form for you, and they are dependent on receiving information that is precise enough to identify and locate the material. If the circulation desk is very busy, direct requests from visitors are given first priority. Archival material that is to be used in the afternoons or on Saturdays must always be requested in advance. The National Archives and the regional state archives have different request deadlines.