The State Historical Society of Missouri's book collection is non-circulating; however, a direct loan service makes microfilm available to select patrons who cannot visit our facility in Columbia. The Society's circulating microfilm collections include newspapers, selected high-demand county history books, city and county directories, land ownership maps, periodicals, and other materials. Two guides listing many of these are available on-line:

• Missouri Newspapers on Microfilm at the State Historical Society.
• Guide to Selected Holdings on Microfilm at the State Historical Society of Missouri

Any member in good standing with an annual membership at the Supporting Level ($100) or above may borrow a maximum of two reels of SHS microfilm at a time.

Note that the limit is two reels per patron. Should a request require more than 2 reels the first 2 available reels will be sent. The loan period is two weeks.

Annual members at the Patron level ($500) or above receive FREE loans. Simply send an email to Loucile Malone at MaloneB@umsystem.edu with the information requested below.

If you desire to initiate a loan, simply fill out the form with the item citation. For newspapers a citation includes the town of publication, title of the newspaper, and the date or time period needed. When requesting material other than newspapers, you will need to provide the title, author, publication date, and call number if possible. The publications mentioned above will help you obtain this information.

Instructions for direct loans:

1. Loan fees are due in advance of shipping.
2. Requests are submitted from this web site and paid online by credit card.
3. Please provide a complete street address for delivery. (UPS cannot deliver to post office boxes.) Without a street address the Society must charge an additional $15.00 fee.
4. Materials are loaned for two weeks.
5. A maximum of two reels may be borrowed per loan at the one cost of $10.00. Should a request require more than 2 reels, the first 2 available reels will be sent. A new request cannot be shipped until the current loan is received at the Society.
6. Please return all loan materials in sturdy cardboard boxes bt UPS or First Class Insured Mail. Do Not Use Jiffy Mailers.
7. Note the borrower is responsible for replacement or repair costs for any damage or loss during the loan period.
8. The Society regrets it cannot place any materials on reserve.

Questions concerning the Society's loan service can be directed to Loucile Malone at MaloneB@umsystem.edu.