The Bethel Historical Society's Research Library collects, preserves, organizes, and makes available to the public all forms of information relating to the region. Our holdings include books, pamphlets, diaries, letters, photographs, maps, atlases, gazetteers, scrapbooks, periodicals, audio/video recordings, microforms, and ephemera.  Particularly strong for the Bethel area, western Maine, and the White Mountain region of Maine and New Hampshire, these resources also include material relating to other New England States, eastern Canada, and various other parts of the U.S.

Photocopy Fees
Photocopying is permitted in some parts of the collection.  Photocopies (per sheet) are 25 cents for members and 50 cents for non-members.  No requests for complete copies of books, manuscripts, or genealogical folders/notebooks will be honored.  The Bethel Historical Society reserves the right to place other restrictions on certain portions of its collections, depending on the nature of the research, including, but not restricted to, possible publication. Responsibility for observance of copyright law rests with the patron.  Please note that the library collections are non-circulating.

Research-By-Mail
The Society is pleased to offer a “Research-By-Mail” service for those who cannot visit us in person.  For a prepaid, non-refundable hourly fee ($10 for members; $15 for nonmembers), staff and volunteers from our Research Library Committee will search for specific information in appropriate catalogs, genealogies, town histories, cemetery records, published vital records, microfilmed newspapers, and directories.  We regret that we cannot search in unindexed manuscript material.  We will be happy to give an estimate of the time required to research your topic; you may contact us at library@bethelhistorical.org or 207-824-2908.  For each hour of contracted research, we will provide photocopies of the most pertinent material and will advise you of the sources we've consulted.  In a letter (no emails, please), please describe what information you are seeking, list sources you have already checked, and include your remittance (made payable to the "Bethel Historical Society").  Our mailing address is Bethel Historical Society, P.O. Box 12, Bethel, ME 04217.  Requests will be answered (usually within 3 to 4 weeks) in the order in which they are received.