Public Service Policies & Fees

Disciples of Christ Historical Society is the guardian of the Stone-Campbell tradition’s spiritual memory as well as the institutional memory of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The books and archival documents in its custody cover more than two centuries, documenting the origins and evolution of the Disciples of Christ and the history of churches in all three streams of the Stone-Campbell heritage. Every item requires very careful handling and storage, both to prevent deterioration and to preserve for future generations.

When you visit us, you have the opportunity to hold and study materials that are unique. Both you, as researcher, and DCHS, as keeper of the historic record, play essential roles in their preservation and security.

We serve the information needs of anyone who is interested in the contents of the collections housed in the Library and Archives and who agrees to abide by the conditions for use established for the long-term preservation of the materials.

• Membership in the Society entitles you to free, unlimited research in person at the Society and two hours of staff-assisted research via correspondence annually. Become a Member.
  
  
• Non-members coming to the Society in person to view collections will be charged $20.00 per visit.
  
  
• Please contact us in advance of your visit so we can confirm that the material you need are in our holdings and available for research. Almost half of the Archives of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are housed in off-site storage and two business days are required for retrieval.
  
  
• Researchers should bear in mind the restrictions on photocopying and publication imposed by the Copyright Act of 2003. It is the researcher’s responsibility to determine the copyright status and obtain the necessary permission before publication of material from the Society’s collections. (Please see Copyright Information.)
  
  
• Remote (non-member) users of the Library and Archives who must rely on the staff to answer their questions for them will be charge an initial fee of $20.00 before research can be done. Staff time in addition to the first hour will be billed at $20.00 per hour.

  If you need your research completed in less than 4 weeks, a one-time rush fee of $50.00 will be charged (in addition to the $20.00 initial fee). Tell us your research requirements in advance, so we can determine whether a rush fee will be assessed.

  NOTE: The research does not guarantee a result.
  
  
• Only one research request will be filled at a time. Research inquiries are processed as they are received (whether received by mail, email, telephone or fax). Allow 4-6 weeks for completion of your research request.
  
  
• If the question is more complex than can be answered in 2 hours of research, patrons are asked to make arrangements to come in person to complete their research. In some cases, the Society’s staff may be able to locate an independent researcher for people who are not able to make an on-site visit.
  
  
• Congregations of the Stone-Campbell tradition or ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will receive two hours of research per year at no charge. Congregations of the Stone-Campbell tradition must be researching their own history in order to have the research fee waived.
  
  
• The preferred citation for any document or photograph published by the researcher is:

  [Name of File or Collection], Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Nashville, Tennessee.
  
  

• Members may borrow any book of which the Society has multiple copies. The member will be billed for postage and handling and will pay return postage. Non-members may borrow a second copy of a book through the Interlibrary Loan department at their local library for a charge of $5.00 per book (plus postage & handling). which must be paid in advance to Disciples of Christ Historical Society. The loan period is 1 month, with one renewal permitted.

 

Effective August 15, 2011