The Beloit Historical Society (BHS) owns, curates, and provides access to collections and records related to the history of the City of Beloit and its surrounding area. The BHS endeavors to provide public access to these resources and has a detailed access policy to provide prospective research visitors with the information and guidelines needed to access BHS collections for personal or scholarly study, or for commercial use. The policy provides information about how to request access, donor restrictions, or condition (some items may be too fragile to handle). Due to the fragile nature of the collection materials, they are accessible by appointment only. Contact the BHS office (608-365-7835) to make an appointment.

BHS members and members of the public are allowed access to collections and primary and secondary records. However, fees apply for non-members staff conducted research, access to the Luebke Library and for duplication requests of photographs, documents, or records. Commercial use of photographs or documents require additional fees and contractual agreements. If a user is unable to visit BHS, historical research assistance is available for a fee. The fee is charged to cover costs of archival materials and the time to investigate your research request. Therefore, research fees are non-refundable, even if there is no information to answer your request. Research conducted by staff for requests will begin upon receipt of the Research Request form and the fee payment of $20 by non-members. Research can take a minimum of three weeks.

Research requests can be made to the BHS in person, by email, or by mail. All research requests require the completion of a Research Request Form. The BHS uses the form to track research questions and answers, time spent handling research requests, and the number of individuals served. The form is available at the Lincoln Center, or can be downloaded, and mailed, or emailed to the BHS Access Manager at info@beloithistoricalsociety.com.