Services and Research

Services

Photocopier: The library has one photocopy machine available for public use. Materials may be copied (subject to copyright restrictions) by patrons for a charge of $.10 per page for B&W and $.50 for color. Our machine copies up to 11x17 for $.20 per page for B&W and $1.00 for color.
Microfilm and microfiche: We have one microfilm and one microfiche reader that are both "read-only."
Faxes: Reference librarians will send and receive fax materials for the public upon request, providing the materials faxed pertain to local history. The charges are $2.00 for the first page, and $1.00 for each additional page.
Databases: Two computers provide access to the databases Ancestry and Heritage Quest. Heritage Quest may be reached from home using your Boulder Public Library card.
Internet: Our Internet computer is for local history and genealogy research. Time for other internet browsing is limited to 10 minutes per person per day.
WiFi: Wifi is available within the library for those with their own laptop computers. We provide a handout on how to access the library's catalog, but not in accessing other databases.
Class tours/ group tours.
Programs and Exhibits: Exhibits of photographs and documents from our collection, and programs highlighting local history of general interest to the public.

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In house research assistance

As we are an archive, our foremost responsibility is to provide patrons assistance with their research.
If you live within the Denver metro area or are planning to visit our archive:

We encourage visiting the Carnegie Branch Library archive in order to make the most effective use of all resources. The staff will assist in-house patrons identify and locate pertinent library, genealogical and archival resources.
Plan your visit wisely. You can speed up the amount of time it takes to research your topic by searching the catalog in advance. Click to learn about our collections.

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Out of town research

If you live outside of the Denver metro area and request information through the mail or email, our policy is as follows:

We provide one hour of free research. If your research takes longer, see our list of genealogists who provide research for a fee.
All requests must be in writing. We urge that inquiries be as specific as possible, with complete spelling of names, birth/death dates, and the area and period of time that the person lived in Boulder County. The requestor should supply information already known and sources already checked in order to avoid repetition. Please do not send simultaneous requests to the Library, the Genealogical Society and the Boulder History Museum.
All requests will be taken in the order they are received.
We do not search for data beyond our premises, other than the archives of the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper.

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Sampling of the sources in our collection

Our catalog of materials is a small fraction of the vast wealth of information available at the Carnegie Branch Library for Local History. If you are researching people or buildings we check a variety of resources that are either not listed in our catalog or might be listed but not indexed in our catalog. We will determine which sources are appropriate for your research. Our library also houses the collection of the Boulder Genealogical Society, whose Boulder County collections we utilize.

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Resources we use

Assessor's Improvement Cards from the Boulder County Assessor's Office include a small photo of taxed properties between 1942 - 1949 as well as structural information.
Boulder City and County Directories 1892-present
Boulder City and County phonebooks 1904-present
Boulder County Cemeteries including listings of burials
Boulder County Deaths and the Insane 1859-1900 abstracts from local papers
Boulder County Historic Site Survey describing location and history of sites
Boulder County, Colorado Marriages, Anniversaries, Divorces, Births and Birthdays, 1859-1900 abstracts from local papers
*Boulder County Colorado Marriage Records, 1860-1900 abstracted from the Courthouse records
Boulder County Motor Vehicle certificates of title from 1920-1939
Boulder County Treasurer Ledger 39 abstract of land titles in Boulder County 1864-1923 listing original owners
*Boulder Genealogical Society Quarterly articles covering Boulder County family genealogy
Card Catalog: catalog of holdings of vertical files of newspaper clippings, brochures, pamphlets and ephemeral materials pertaining to Boulder topics, Colorado people and places (with an emphasis on Boulder County)
*Census Records for Boulder County for 1860,1870,1880,1885, 1900, and 1910
Columbia Cemetery Burials, Boulder Colorado lists burial and brief biographical information
Columbia Cemetery Gravestone Inventory includes location and free hand drawing of gravestones
Early Days of Boulder; a compilation of newspaper excerpts arranged by topic
Estate Files abstracts from wills 1862-1910
Genealogical Abstracts 1891-1900 from various local papers
Howe Mortuary (Boulder) Funeral Records 1902-1991
Improvements in Boulder, Colorado through 1900; a compilation of newspaper excerpts listing new buildings in town as reported in the paper indexed by street name, surname and business name
Lyons Cemetery Burials 1888 to Present
Maria Rogers Oral History Program collection of over 1,450 interviews of Boulder County residents talking about their memories of life in Boulder County
*Obituaries 1901-1925, 1975-1985, 1992-1997. There is an incomplete card file for 1926-1960
Catalog: Boulder Public Library's catalog of Carnegie's 4,000 books, 200,000 photographs and 700,000 documents pertaining to Boulder County history including diaries, maps, letters, newspaper clippings, scrap books, papers of pioneer families and businesses, records of churches, clubs and mining districts, bulletins, programs and brochures.
Sanborn Fire Insurance maps showing the footprint of each building in downtown Boulder and surrounding residential area for 1883, 1886, 1890, 1895, 1900, 1906, 1910, 1918, 1922, 1931.
Telephone Directories for Boulder and some for Boulder County, 1904 to present
Yearbooks for the University of Colorado (1893, 1900-1994), State Prep and Boulder High School (1910-present), Fairview High School (1961-present) and New Vista High School (1993, 1996 – present)

*Items in the Boulder Genealogical Society collection.

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Fees

Research

Your first hour of research is free. If we are unable to fully complete your research, we will provide you with a list of genealogists who provide research for a fee.

Photocopying fee

Copies made during first hour of research are $.20 per single sided page. For those requesting photocopying of entire phone books, city directories, or yearbooks, we charge $20 per hour and $.20 per page.

Mailing fee

We charge a minimum of $2.50 to mail the information we copy to your address.

Payment of Fees

Fees are accepted by check or credit card.

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