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The
Bethel Historical Society's Research Library collects,
preserves,
organizes,
and makes available to the public all forms of information relating to
the
region. Our holdings include books, pamphlets, diaries, letters,
photographs,
maps, atlases, gazetteers, scrapbooks, periodicals, audio/video
recordings,
microforms, and ephemera. Particularly strong for the Bethel
area,
western Maine, and the White Mountain region of Maine and New
Hampshire,
these resources also include material relating to other New England
States,
eastern Canada, and various other parts of the U.S. Numerous
materials
of a similar nature, currently inaccessible to the public due to space
constraints,
will in due course become available in the Society's new Research
Library at the O'Neil Robinson House next door.
Location and Hours
The Bethel Historical Society's Research Library is located on the
second floor of the
Mason
House barn and is accessed through a first floor entrance. The
Library is open to Society members and the general public as follows:
- June through October,
Tuesday through
Friday, 1:00 to 4:00
PM, and also by appointment (207-824-2908 / 800-824-2910).
- November through May,
by appointment only
(1:00 to 4:00 PM, Thursday and
Friday afternoons preferred). Please
note
that the library collections are non-circulating.
Photocopy Fees
Photocopying is permitted in some parts of the collection.
Photocopies are 25 cents for non-members and 10 cents for
members. No requests for
complete copies of books, manuscripts, or genealogical
folders/notebooks will
be honored. The Bethel Historical Society reserves the right to
place
other restrictions on certain portions of its collections, depending on
the
nature of the research, including, but not restricted to, possible
publication.
Responsibility for observance of copyright law rests with the patron.
Research-By-Mail
Because of its small staff, the Society is generally unable to respond
to
detailed requests for genealogical and/or historical information by
mail.
However, for a prepaid non-refundable fee of $10 per hour (maximum $30
per
request), members of our Research Library Committee will search for
specific
information in appropriate catalogs, genealogies, town histories,
published
vital records, and directories. We regret that we cannot search in
manuscript
material or unindexed publications. For each hour of contracted
research,
we will provide up to ten photocopies (additional copies will be 25
cents
per sheet) of pertinent material and will advise you of the sources
we've
consulted. In a letter (no e-mails, please), indicate clearly
what
information you are seeking, and list sources you have already
checked.
A regular postal mailing address must be included with your remittance
(made
payable to the "Bethel Historical Society") and sent to the Society at
P.O.
Box 12, Bethel, ME 04217. Requests will be answered (usually within 4
to
6 weeks) in the order in which they are received.
To
Contact Us
If you have questions regarding our research library operations, please
call the Society's main office at 207-824-2908 or 800-824-2910 during
regular business hours
(Tuesday through Friday, 10-12 and 1-4). You may also email us at
info@bethelhistorical.org.
Site maintained by the Bethel Historical
Society
©1998-2008 Bethel Historical Society
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