Library staff can provide photocopies on plain paper of selected items in the California History Room's collections, for a fee and on a time-delayed basis. Items that may be copied only by staff include photographs, manuscripts, postcards, vertical file materials, and textual file materials. The size of original materials may not exceed 12x17 inches. Our photocopying limit is 20 copies per patron per week. More than 20 pages of material will not be copied from the same volume or collection.

As an alternative to photocopies, library staff can provide low-resolution scans of manuscript materials, vertical file and textual file materials, and maps. The result is a PDF file. The same size and page limits used in photocopying apply. Color scans can be provided if the item warrants it.

The State Library reserves the right to refuse to copy materials that may be damaged by the process and to prohibit the copying of certain fragile items. Additionally, some materials may not be able to be copied due to copyright restrictions. Microfilming in lieu of photocopying may be considered for fragile books, manuscript collections, or other rare items. The cost of microfilming is determined by the individual items on a case-by-case basis. Please consult our copyright and fair use page as well as our permission to use page for further information about our conditions of use.

Payment by cash, check, or money order (made payable to the California State Library) must be received before we can process your request. We can only accept cash for orders that total $10.00 or less. We cannot accept charge cards. All prices are subject to change without notice.