01 May 2008

A Long Distance Relationship That Lasts

...previously on "As The Research Continues"...
SEAN: Don't worry Lucinda! We can always make a trip to Beaufort County to explore their District Collection's holdings. We can really make this work!!!
LUCINDA: Sean, it's hopeless! [crying] Beaufort is too far away! I may never find the information I need!
SEAN: [solemn, walks to the door] Well, Lucinda, I guess this is it. [opens the door and takes a step out] If you decide to make the trip, call me. [walks out without a backward glance]
**cue heartbreaking music**

Don't let long distance research ruin your life!
The Beaufort District Collection can help you!!!

Reference Service Basics

Free Services
Fee Based Services
for folks who want us to help them from afar
If you’re asking us to do too much of your work for you, we’ll tell you up front! Please don’t offend us by offering to pay more or ask for “extra special” services. Our services are always of the highest quality, and therefore “extra special” by very definition!
  • We answer one question at a time & each question is subject to the minimal fee.
  • Fees are incurred as soon as we roll up our sleeves and get to researching.
  • You can count on our researching abilities. Rest assured that if an answer exists, we will do our absolute best to find it for you! Remember, however, we can only work for about one hour on your task & sometimes there is no concrete answer to be had.
(For example, if your ancestor was born “outside the sheets in 1865,” we may not have any resources within our collections to document who sired him/her! In fact, SC didn’t even have official birth certificates until 1915!)

    • All replies incur the same fees whether they be replies in the affirmative ("yes, we found what you were looking for") or the negative ("with apologies, no records exist.") “No” or “Insufficient documentation to support your contention” is an answer – just not the one that you may have been hoping to get.

Regretfully, staff at the BDC will not do any of the following:
Make up or create records
Take photographs of headstones, historic sites, or historic houses
Visit cemeteries
Wander around the county looking for records
Provide supporting research reports or documentation by fax, e-mail, scanning or over the telephone
Estimated Turn-Around Time Frame
We try to complete our reference services within two weeks of agreeing to tackle your request. Remember, that it takes time to perform the high quality research work that we do. Please note that our first priority is to assist customers who personally visit the BDC. We do not guarantee delivery of the research report or supporting documentation within 14 days. Rest assured, however, that providing quality research with supporting documentation and customer satisfaction is our goal! We request that you please be patient.
Don't Forget:
Since all replies are sent via USPS mail, it is essential that we have your current mailing address. Fees are to be paid by return mail as soon as you receive a formal reply from staff of the Beaufort County Library.

Fees
Fees are based upon residency, the number of questions asked, and the number of necessary photocopies made to sufficiently support the research.
Beaufort County Library Card Holders
$5.00 per question
¢50 per photocopy
Other US Residents
$10.00 per question
¢50 per photocopy
Foreign Nationals
$15.00 per question
¢50 per photocopy

Long Distance Reference Policy
Obituary Request Policy
The Beaufort District Collection is a division of the Beaufort County Library, a department of Beaufort County Government of South Carolina.
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