The Gage County Museum has an extensive collection of objects, photographs, archival material, and research items pertaining to Beatrice and Gage County. The Museum provides access to its valuable historical material and welcomes personal and professional research with the following guidelines:
WALK-IN RESEARCH is limited to research material accessible at the front desk. Due to limited staff availability, we cannot guarantee same-day fulfillment of walk-in requests. Access to our library and archives is by appointment only.
RESEARCH LIBRARY, ARCHIVE, AND COLLECTIONS APPOINTMENTS must be made at least one week in advance. This allows staff time to research, select, and pull requested items. To request an appointment, please contact our office and fill out the form below as carefully as possible so that we can best assist your request.
RESEARCH REQUESTS BY PHONE, MAIL AND EMAIL will be provided a first response with basic information about our research procedures, including our fees. Depending on the type of request, a first response can be expected within two weeks of receipt of request. Reproduction and publication of all materials are subject to image reproduction fees and publication use guidelines and must be approved by Museum staff in advance. Research assistance from Museum staff is free for the first 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, an hourly fee is required. (Please see our Research Fee Schedule for more information.)
Providing access to our collections is part of our mission at the Gage County Museum. While on-site access to our collections is free of charge, any access that requires staff research or special curatorial assistance may involve a fee.
Museum staff will provide up to 30 minutes of complementary research on each written research request. Additional time requires an hourly research fee.
The Museum also provides duplicates of photographs, documents, and published materials in its collections. This schedule outlines the fees the Gage County Museum charges for reference copies of our materials. Permission for the use in publication is granted by filling out a Publication Use Agreement form.
GAGE COUNTY MUSEUM RESEARCH FEE SCHEDULE:
Staff Time
First 30 Minutes of staff research, time, or curatorial assistance
GCHS Member
Free
Non-Member
Free
Staff research time or curatorial assistance (per hour)
GCHS Member
$10.00
Non-Member
$15
Reference Copies
B/W Photocopies (per page)
GCHS Member
$0.25(5 free)
Non-Member
$0.25
Digital Image Scan (per page)
GCHS Member
$1.00
Non-Member
$1.00
PDF Document Scan (per page)
GCHS Member
$1.00
Non-Member
$1.00
Publication Use
Digital Image Print Quality (300 dpi.jpeg format)
GCHS Member
$10.00
Non-Member
$15.00
Digital Image High Resolution Copy (600-800 dpi.jpeg or .tiff format)
GCHS Member
$25.00
Non-Member
$30.00
On-Site Access: On-site access to our research material is free of charge – if you are near Beatrice, Nebraska, you are welcome to do your own research in person. Access to the Gage County Museum Research Library and Archive is available by appointment only; please schedule your appointment at least one week in advance.
Research Process. Within two weeks of the initial request for research, archive access, or duplication, the Gage County Museum will provide information about research procedures and a research request form or schedule an appointment for archive access. After the research request form is received, museum staff will complete the first 30 minutes of research and inform the requester of the results. Note - All research queries are answered in the order received, and due to the volume of requests, there may be an extended delay before we are able to respond with the findings from the preliminary search.
Delivery times. After informing the researcher of the preliminary results, museum staff will provide an estimate of the expected cost of copies and research time needed to fulfill the request. The requester has 30 days to confirm fulfillment of request for the cost and time estimated by the Museum, or to modify or prioritize the items within the request and receive a current cost and time estimate. If the Museum does not receive a response from the requester within 30 days, the Museum shall not fulfill the request.
Payment. Fees will be paid or invoiced in advance of delivery of orders and are non-refundable. Fees are subject to change without notice. Cash, check, major credit cards, and debit cards are accepted. Nebraska sales tax will be applied to all orders.
Right of refusal. The Gage County Museum is not obligated to provide copies of materials in any format that differs from the format of the original record or from the format/resolution typically used for reference copies by the Museum. The Museum may refuse to allow patrons to use personal duplication devices if they pose a preservation risk to the materials. In such cases, the patron will have the right to obtain copies made by the Museum of such materials for the applicable fees.
Waivers. The Gage County Museum reserves the right to waive fees or other requirements on an individual basis at the discretion of the Museum Administrator. Such fee waivers can be made only upon approval of the written application.
