Information about copying charges at Durham County Record Office.
About copying charges
When you visit the Record Office it is free to read the archives and make notes but we make a charge for any copies that are made. If you are unable to visit you can order copies from us.
See a list of our current Fees and Charges (including VAT at 20%) in the General Guides section of our information guides.
The money raised from copying charges helps to sustain our information service to the public in a period of continuing austerity for Durham County Council.
The following information is arranged in two sections, covering the charges for:
- Copies made by you in the Search Room
- Copies made by us
Details of the charges for popular copying orders will be added soon. Please contact us if you need help or a quotation for copying.
Copies made by you in the Search Room
Copies from microfilm
You can make A4 copies from microfilm and microfiche on the self-service microfilm reader-printer.
Copies cost 50p per A4 sheet.
Please bring enough small change with you. The mini-vend machine takes all coins from £1 to 5p. It does not give change.
Prints from public access computers
You can make prints from all six public access PCs in the Search Room.
Copies cost 50p per A4 sheet.
Pay for these at the Search Room desk.
Using your own camera
A one-day permit costs £15.
You can use a hand-held camera (no flash photography) but exclusions apply.
What you cannot photograph yourself:
- microfilms
- photographs
- Ordnance Survey plans
- tithe plans
- records with restricted access
- more than a chapter from a printed book that is still in copyright
Why can’t I photograph everything myself?
We don’t allow you to photograph popular records that we have already digitised to protect them from excessive handling, records that need conservation, and records that are subject to legal restrictions such as copyright and data protection. There is a reader-printer for making copies from microfilm.
Copies made by us
You can order copies from Durham County Record Office if you are unable to visit or you need us to make photocopies for you during your visit. To protect the archives all photocopying is done by a member of staff.
We use a range of equipment (overhead camera, book scanner, flatbed scanner, photocopier, microfilm reader-printer) to provide you with a good quality copy without damaging the original document in any way.
How we copy a document will depend on its size and format.
If you order multiple copies we will charge you the hourly/daily rate as soon as this becomes the cheapest option.
Photocopies
A3/A4 copies made by staff, where the order is made and collected in the Record Office, cost 50p per copy.
A single copy made by staff and scanned to email or sent by second class UK post costs £5 per copy.
Multiple copies made by staff and scanned to email or sent by second class UK post:
- Up to nine copies – £5 per copy
- 10 or more copies – hourly/daily rate
Large orders are charged at our hourly/daily rate (£50/£300). Please ask for a quotation for copying, plus postage and packing if required.
Digital copies
We can supply digital copies as jpeg images by email, web transfer or by post on a CD.
- Document up to A3 (297 mm x 420 mm): £60 (£5 if you pay using our online shop)
- Document up to A1 (594 mm x 841 mm): £12
- Document over A1: £20
- Hourly rate: £50
- Daily rate: £300
Large orders are charged at our hourly/daily rate (£50/£300). For example:
- Up to 8 digital copies (document up to A3) – £6 per copy
- 9 or more digital copies (document up to A3) – hourly/daily rate
Please ask for a quotation for copying, plus postage and packing if required.
Quick search and copy
Quick Search is a new addition to our Research service. It covers a brief search for a single entry in a single document in our records.
For example, we will search a single year in a parish register or a specific address in a census or electoral register. Newspaper searches are limited to a single issue.
Quick search also covers a copy of a timeline for a Durham Light Infantry battalion.
- Quick search and provision of a photocopy: £5
- Quick search and provision of a certified copy: £12
- Quick search and provision of a high quality colour digital copy: £12
If the information covers more than one page the charge is £5/£12 per page (single charge of £5 for a DLI battalion timeline).
Copies are supplied by email whenever possible, or second class UK post.
Research Service
Use our Research service to order document copies as part of a longer or more complex enquiry that requires professional research time.
- Research service (one hour): £35
We will respond to your enquiry by email/email attachment whenever possible, or second class UK post.
Ordnance Survey and Tithe Plans
You can order copies of Ordnance Survey (OS) plans that are over 50 years old, and tithe plans.
- Digital copy: £12
- A3 print ordered and collected only in the Record Office: £50
Large orders are charged at our hourly/daily rate (£50/£300). For example:
- up to four digitized OS or tithe plans – £12 per copy
- five or more digitized OS or tithe plans – hourly/daily rate
Please ask for a quotation for copying, plus postage and packing if required.
Digitisation service
We offer a specialist copying service for your own books, prints, maps, photographs and documents. Please contact us for a quotation.
- Hourly rate: £50
- Daily rate: £300
