Research - Iowa Heartland History Connection

Iowa Heartland Research & Archive Center

Harnessing a rich and diverse collection – featuring over 20,000 artifacts, books, letters, ledgers, diaries, photographs, and correspondence of local, regional, and national significance – and informational databases, the Iowa Heartland Research & Archive Center offers independent and collaborative research services from the one-off search to the on-going project, manuscript, or genealogical information.

Ways to Research

ONSITE

The Iowa Heartland Research & Archive Center is open to the public by appointment. To ensure proper assistance, researchers are strongly encouraged to schedule appointments in advance.

REMOTE

The Iowa Heartland Research Service & Archive Center will provide historical and/or genealogical research services for individuals unable to visit the archives in person. Research requests may be submitted via email, mail, or phone.

non-member rates

Independent Research $5 / hr

FREE for members; $5 / article or document print/digital file/photograph
Collaborative* / Remote Research $20 / hr

$10/hr for members; minimum 2-hour blocks; $5 / article or document print/digital file/photograph

member rates

Independent Research FREE

$5 / article or document print/digital file/photograph
Collaborative* / Remote Research $10 / hr

Minimum 2-hour blocks; $5 / article or document print/digital file/photograph

* Collaborative research is one-on-one assistance with an experienced researcher (i.e. paid or volunteer staff).

onsite Research Policies & Procedures

The Iowa Heartland History Connection team will assist you in the research center by directing you to pertinent collections, recommending sources of information, filling photocopy orders, and scheduling additional research appointments. In preparation for your visit, please read the following policies to ensure you have a great research experience. Please contact us if you have any questions about your visit.

Make an appointment at least two days in advance and communicate to staff what you are researching.
To help preserve our collections, wash your hands with soap and water rather than using alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
Store your bags, coats, or other items outside the library in the space provided.
As a security measure, all personal notes and equipment are subject to search when you leave the center.
Bring a pencil. Pens or markers of any type are not permitted in the center. Pencils are provided.
Food and beverages are not allowed.
Smoking is prohibited.
Patrons should leave collection materials on the table when finished and staff will reshelve.
Photocopying is provided by staff. Copies of maps, manuscripts, photographs and other materials are available unless prohibited by copyright or curatorial restrictions.
You may use a laptop or tablet.
All collections must stay in the research center and cannot be checked out or taken to another area of the building.

Need Research Assistance?

FORTEPAN Iowa Project

THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA

We’re grateful to partner with the FORTEPAN Iowa project, a digital archive that features curated photos taken by ordinary Iowans over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The photos represent the personal, whimsical, poetic, significant, and accidentally artistic moments of everyday Iowa life, and tell a rich story of Iowa’s great diversity and complexity.

The project is 100% public, and all images are available for public exploration, tagging, and downloading. Special thanks to the Ottumwa Legacy Foundation and the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs for their grant to make available many photos of Ottumwa and Southeastern Iowa, donated from the Leann Lemberger collection.