Overview of our copying service
Our record copying service provides digital or paper copies of documents from our collection.
If you are looking to obtain a digital copy of a document from our collection, you must first start by identifying the relevant record. This can be done by searching Discovery, our catalogue.
Once you have identified a document, providing the record you have chosen hasn’t already been digitised, you can request a page check from the record copying service. You can do this by clicking the ‘order a copy’ link at the bottom of the catalogue page and following the instructions.
If the record you require has already been digitised, details on how you can obtain copies can be found within the individual catalogue reference in Discovery.
Page checks
All copying requests start with a page check, costing £8.40. This charge covers:
- a member of staff reviewing the document to assess if the information can be located
- checking its suitability for copying
- providing a costed quote for the digitisation
Please note the £8.40 does not include the cost of digitising the images.
Before placing a page check, you need to have a reasonable expectation that:
- the selected document will contain the information you require
- the relevant information will be easily identifiable
If your enquiry is speculative, there is a chance your page check will be unsuccessful. If you do not have the full information required, please consider contacting either an independent researcher or our own research services to obtain the information you need.
Please be aware that once work has begun on the page check the £8.40 is non-refundable.
Making copies
If copies can be made, the price you pay for them will depend on the type and number of copies you want. View our current fees. This process can take approximately 29 working days from start to finish. Find out further information on the charging and legislation governing the copying fees.
Once an order has been completed and delivered no refunds are granted due to the non-returnable nature of digital products once they’re downloaded.
If you are interested in higher volume digitisation of whole documents, please review our digitisation services or email the Digitisation Centre to find out more.
Please note that the record copying service is not a research service. Our staff specialise in all aspects of the digitisation process but have no expert knowledge of what is contained within the documents.
Further information
- Current demand for record copying services is very high and we are working hard to ensure we maintain a high standard of service while accommodating as many orders as possible. We recognise that this may present difficulties for researchers, and we will keep this arrangement under regular review.
- Please watch our step-by-step guide to the record copying service. Some of the information in this video, such as delivery times, has been adjusted.
