Call: 314-994-3300 ext. 2070
Email: scollections@slcl.org
Visit us at:
1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63131
Please also review Special Collections Department security policies and procedures.
A. Yes. The library has a large, free, well-lit parking lot.
A. St. Louis County Library's catalog is on the Internet, and the Special Collections Department also has indexes and finding aids on its website.
A. Sign up for PastPorts, the department’s monthly electronic newsletter. Sign up to receive email notices when a new issue is available or download current and past issues. PastPorts issues are posted on the website as PDFs.
A. Books with call numbers beginning with "R" are for reference use only and cannot be checked out or taken off the floor. Books from the National Genealogical Society Book Loan Collection and others with call numbers that do not begin with "R" can be checked out with a valid St. Louis County Library card or obtained through interlibrary loan. Circulating books are visible on the shelf by the round blue label on their spines. Use the SLCL catalog to determine which books circulate and which do not. A limit of two books can be checked out from the Special Collections Department at one time.
A. Due to space limitations, the department’s extensive published family history collection is shelved in an area closed to the public, but titles will be retrieved upon request. List the title and call number for each book on a piece of paper and give it to a department staff member. Request slips, provided for your convenience, are located next to the public computer stations. The books will be brought to your table.
A. Items that are allowed or not allowed are described in the department’s security policy.
A. No. Place them on one of the carts at the ends of the stacks.
A. Yes, customers may take the films they need from the film cabinets.
A. No. When finished with a reel of film, place it on the cart near the microfilm reader area provided for that purpose.
A. Yes. A 30-minute limit for computers and a one-hour limit for microfilm readers/printers is enforced if other researchers are waiting. If there is no waiting list, you may continue to use the equipment past the time limit.
A. Sign in at the department’s reference desk and ask for a timecard. Researchers wanting to use a computer will be asked to present a valid St. Louis County Library card or other ID with a current address (such as a driver’s license).
A. If you are leaving your computer or microfilm reader briefly, leave the timecard at the machine to show that it is occupied. If you are finished, the timecard may be discarded. Please turn the light off on microfilm readers if you step away and when you are finished.
A. Yes. There is a 30-minute time limit on the public computers if others are waiting.
A. Yes. Either a St. Louis County Library card or a photo ID with your current address (such as a driver's license) is required for computer use.
A. Customers have full access to all genealogical subscription databases while in any branch of the library. A list of databases along with information about remote access is available on the library’s databases page.
A. Yes. Print-out from the computers costs 10¢ per page for letter size and 20¢ per page for 11" x 17" paper. Copies can be picked up and paid for at the Special Collections reference desk.
A. Yes. Laptop computers with wireless capabilities can access the Internet and the library’s subscription databases, including Ancestry LibraryEdition and Footnote.
A. Printing from a laptop computer is not possible at this time.
A. Photocopies and prints are self-service and are priced as follows:
| Size | Black & white | Color |
| Letter (8-1/2" x 11") | 15 cents | 30 cents |
| Ledger (11" x 17") | 30 cents | 60 cents |
| Letter (8-1/2" x 11") and ledger (11" x 17"): 25¢ per copy |
| Size | Black & white only |
| Letter (8-1/2" x 11") | 10 cents |
| Ledger (11" x 17") | 20 cents |
A. Quarters or one-dollar bills are recommended. A change machine gives quarters for one-dollar bills. Quarters are needed for the microfilm reader printers. The department is unable to make change for large bills.
A. Both computer printers and microfilm reader/printers can make 11" x 17" copies that will accommodate the full image of a census page (see pricing above). The lens on a microfilm reader may need to be changed for the census image to fit. Please contact a staff member if a change of lens is needed.
A. Digital copies from the photocopier and microfilm reader/printers can be saved on a USB flash drive at no charge. The photocopiers can scan documents and save them in TIF, JPEG and PDF formats. Microfilm readers can scan to TIF and JPEG formats. Files from the computers can also be saved to a flash drive. You may bring a flash drive with you, or the department sells 4GB flash drives for $10. Inquire at the reference desk. Files cannot be emailed from the photocopier or microfilm reader/printers.
