Reference and Information Services: an introduction

Portsmouth City Council's Library Service provides access to a vast range of reference and information resources covering a wide range of subjects and materials.

To find out more about a topic that interests you, please select one of the links below:

For further information, contact your local branch or:

Reference Library
Central Library
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2DX

Telephone: (023) 9268 8044

Fax: (023) 9283 9855

E-mail: reference.library@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Postal Research Service for Genealogy and Local History

While library staff will check resources in the Historical Collections at Portsmouth Central Library free of charge for up to half-an-hour, we also offer a comprehensive research service.  For a fee, payable in advance, we can undertake up to three hours research in the many sources held in the Historical Collections, including births, marriages and deaths indexes, wills indexes, International Genealogical Index, directories, electoral registers, census returns, newspapers, Army/Navy/Air Force lists, illustrations, maps, and books about places and subjects in Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.  Many requests for searches are from family historians, but the same service is available to those requesting research in local history.

How to Request Research

Please make your request for research on the application form, and send it with the appropriate research fee to the Historical Collections Librarian, Central Library, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, England PO1 2DX.  If you are uncertain whether your enquiry will need to be answered under these terms, please contact staff beforehand on +44 (0)23 9268 8046 or e-mail reference.library@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. We regret that no research needing more than half-an-hour can be undertaken unless we have received payment in advance.

Obtaining an Application Form

You can download a form by clicking on the link below under 'Associated Documents'. Alternatively you can request a form by phone or by e-mail (details as above).

Making Your Request

Try to be as specific as possible about which sources you would like us to search, the dates to be covered and the object of the research.  We would strongly advise you to check in advance that the Library holds the relevant material before you ask us to undertake a search.  Please note that open-ended searches of newspapers cannot be undertaken.

Results

We cannot guarantee that the search will yield the information you are hoping to find, or that we will be able to undertake all the work you have asked for in the time provided.  However, we will try to discover as much as we can for you.  We carry out research up to a maximum of three hours at a time.  This allows us to maintain a reasonable turnover of searches and enables the researcher to control the progress and cost of a search. 

Our Charges

We charge £11.50 per half-hour.  Our charges include all work connected with the search - there are no extra charges for postage or administrative costs.  We also include a limited number of photocopies in this fee, if this is the best way to convey the information.  You will be asked to sign a copyright declaration form before copies of any material in copyright will be sent to you.

How to Pay

You can pay for the research by cheque, postal order or money order made payable to Portsmouth City Council.  Overseas payments must be made in pounds sterling.  You can also pay by debit or credit card, but please do not send card details in an e-mail as our system is not secure.

Further Questions

If you have any further questions to ask about the service, please contact us as above.

 

Associated documents:

  Postal research application form  (0.06 MB)

Business information
Community information
Dickens collection
Education and careers
Family history
Local history
Naval history
Patents and trademarks
Special reference collections
Travel information