How To Research

How To Research

Researcher interacting with Filson Staff

We look forward to assisting in connecting you with our collections at the Filson! Please see below for information about in person and remote research and services provided by Collections staff.


Researching From Home

  • Please use our research tools online, linked from the left, to learn more about our holdings.
  • Staff can spend about half an hour looking into your request at no charge.
  • Staff can conduct up to two additional hours of research, and can also make PDF scans for remote patrons. We are charging a flat hourly rate for these services: $35/hour for members* and $50/hour for nonmembers. *e-members and Filson For All members get their first hour of research free. For more information about membership, please click here.
  • Please email us at gro.l1710814871aciro1710814871tsihn1710814871oslif1710814871@hcra1710814871eser1710814871. The research email account is monitored multiple times a day on business days.
  • If you are interested in ordering high quality image reproductions, please visit our Order Reproductions page.

Researching At the Filson

  • Research room hours are Monday through Friday, 9am-4:30pm; new materials are not pulled after 4pm.  We are closed on the third Friday of each month.
  • Researchers can reserve a research appointment online or by calling the Filson (502-635-5083); seating is limited and first come, first serve.
  • Most of our cataloged collections are housed on site and can be pulled on demand, but please contact us to view museum collections via email (gro.l1710814871aciro1710814871tsihn1710814871oslif1710814871@hcra1710814871eser1710814871) or phone (502-635-5083). Due to special handling needs and space constrains, we normally cannot make museum collections available on demand.
  • Parking is available in our building lot, and also in our lot at the northeast corner of Third and Ormsby Streets (enter off of Ormsby).  Free street parking is also available in the neighborhood.  There is a TARC stop (Route 4 PDF) at Fourth and Ormsby Streets.
  • Conducting research is free for members and students; non-members pay a $10 daily research fee.
  • All visitors and researchers check in to our campus by completing a simple online form at the front desk during each visit; our front desk attendant will be happy to help you. Completing this registration will streamline your checking at the reference desk!
  • Please bring your photo ID to the Collections Department; a photocopy for internal use will be made by staff if you are viewing rare or special collections materials.
  • To request collections materials, researchers will complete a registration form and call slip in the Collections Department, providing personal information and signing to agree with our rules and regulations – download a fillable PDF of this form online here.  Feel free to complete the form at home to save time the day of your research.
  • As the majority of our materials are in closed stacks, staff will pull and bring the material to the appropriate reading room (Library or Special Collections). No material should be removed from the reading room.
  • Free lockers are available to store your personal belongings. Please bring pencils, loose sheets of paper, laptops/tablets, and cameras for your use in the reading rooms. Please leave bags, binders, jackets, hats, food, and drink in the locker. Please CLICK HERE for a list of what to bring to our reading rooms (PDF). 
  • All visitors and researchers should sign out at the front desk before leaving the building.
  •  Click here to view a list of accommodations close the Filson (PDF).

Handling Materials at the Filson

  • Researchers accept the responsibility of handling all materials carefully. Manuscripts and books must not be written on, folded, traced over, or handled in any way that may cause damage.  Researchers working with photographs may be asked to wear gloves.
  • Please maintain the order of the material. Please do not shuffle or otherwise rearrange the order of the manuscripts and photographs. If you feel something is disordered, please speak to a staff member.
  • Keep the materials flat on the table; do not lean on them or hold them in your hands to read. If you need a magnifying glass or additional lighting, please ask a staff member.

Photocopies and Digital Photography | Copyright

  • Please ask staff what procedures to follow regarding photocopies and digital photography.
  • Flatbed scanners are not permitted in the reading rooms.
  • Special Collections Reading Room:
    • A photocopy request/digital photography form must be completed and signed.
    • Digital photography by the patron may be done free of charge; images are to be used for research purposes only. Staff will provide a strip identifying the material as coming from the Filson to be included in each shot.
    • Photocopies are 25 cents per page for letter and legal size, 50 cents for oversized paper; Filson staff makes all copies. Copies will either be available at the end of the researcher’s visit or can be picked up or mailed at a later date, depending on staff’s availability to make copies at the time of your visit. For copy order of over 100 pages, an additional fee may be charged for staff time.
    • All copies and digital images are to remain in the exclusive possession of the researcher and may only be used for research purposes. Please speak to a staff member for permission to share copies/images with others or to post digital images online.
  • Library Reading Room:
    • Digital photography by the patron incurs no fee.
    • Photocopies and microfilm prints are 25 cents per page for letter and legal size, 50 cents for oversized paper; patrons may make their own copies.
  • The researcher is responsible for acquiring any necessary permissions regarding copyright.
    • The Filson does not provide copyright assurances for any material to which it does not hold the copyright. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes or later uses a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Citing Materials From the Filson

  • Proper bibliographic and footnote credit is required.
  • Manuscript Collection Citations: please include specific cite of material as appropriate, collection title as appropriate, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY.
  • Photos and Prints Citations: please include the object ID number, collection title, date if known, and The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY Example: 987PC52X.01, Enid Bland Yandell Photograph Collection, 1894, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY.
  • Museum Collection Citations: please include the object ID number, title as appropriate, creator if known, date if known, and The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY.
  • To order copies or high resolution reproductions, please see our “Ordering Reproductions” page.
  • The researcher is responsible for acquiring any necessary permissions regarding copyright.