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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Arizona legislators, government officials or staff
Please go to our Reference Services site.
Attorneys, students, genealogists or other members of the public
Please select a category or sub-category that best describes your question:
ABOUT ARIZONA
- In general: If you don't have a specific
question, but have a general interest in Arizona, then you might want
to visit the agency's About Arizona
page.
- Government: If you don't have a specific
question, but have a general interest in government in Arizona, you
might want to visit the agency's Arizona
State Government page.
- History: If you are interested in researching
Arizona's history using historical records, newspapers, photos, manuscripts
and books, you might want to visit the Arizona History and Archives
Division's Frequently Asked Questions
page.
- Kids: If your child
has to do a report about Arizona, the agency has an About
Arizona for Kids page with links to sites of interest to kids and
students doing reports about Arizona. Also, the Governor
has a Kids Page that
includes Facts
about Arizona. You may also find much of the information
your child needs at your local library: look in almanacs,
encyclopedias and U.S.
Census Bureau publications. The Arizona Office of Tourism
has a Kid
Zone and Visitor's
Guide that you can view on the web or order.
- Laws: Arizona
Revised Statutes are available on the Arizona
Legislative Information Service (A.L.I.S) site. Current
and historical annotated Arizona codes, official statutes, regulations
and bills as well as session laws, attorneys general's opinions, court
cases and treatises can be found in the Arizona Law Collection in the
Law and Research Library. Guide
to Arizona Legislative History at the Capitol and Legal
and Regulatory Resources on the Web might also be helpful.
- Maps: Arizona
@ Your Service, the state portal, has links to a variety of current
Arizona
Maps. The Map
Collection contains historical and contemporary geographic, nautical,
topographic and transportation maps of Arizona. Maps,
Geographical and Geological Resources on the Web might also be of
interest.
- Newspapers:
The latest print copies of Arizona
Newspapers are kept in the Law and Research Library in the 1938 addition to the Capitol Building. Newspapers dating from Arizona’s Territorial period through two years ago and all
newspapers on microfilm are housed in the Polly
Rosenbaum Archives and History Building located near the Capitol at 1901 W. Madison Street, in Phoenix. Online access to newspapers is available at both buildings through AZlibrary.
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ABOUT GENEALOGY AND FAMILY HISTORY
- Arizona: If your ancestors were from
Arizona, the Arizona History and Archives
Division would be the best place to start your research. There,
you could access biographical and obituary indexes, Arizona census rolls,
historical Arizona records and newspapers.
- Other: However, additional
information of interest to genealogists is available in the collections
of the Law and Research Library, e.g.:
- Genealogy Collection:
This is the largest genealogical book and periodical collection in
Arizona. CD-ROM databases and online resources are also
available for use. In addition to materials about Arizona,
the collection also contains materials from other states as well as
genealogical indexes and reference works.
- Law Collection: Were any
ancestors involved in court cases?
- Map Collection: This is a wonderful
resource for researchers trying to figure out exactly where an ancestor's
property was located in Arizona.
- Arizona State Agency Publications:
These might also be of interest to those with Arizona ancestors
since the names of those licensed to practice medicine or sell real
estate can be found in the collection. Brand owners and
brands can be found in the brand books. The names, addresses
and salaries of early teachers can be found in the early education
directories. The names of miners killed or injured in
mining accidents during early statehood can be found in the annual
reports of the State Mine Inspector.
- Federal Publications:
These are resources not only for those whose ancestors worked for,
fought for, or otherwise had specific dealings with the Federal Government,
but the collection also contains many volumes about the history of
the country. For specific publications, see: Selected
Federal Publications of Interest to Genealogists
- See also: Frequently
Asked Genealogy Questions and Genealogy
Information Portals
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ABOUT THE LAW AND RESEARCH LIBRARY
- Are you open to the public?
Yes, the collections are available for use by the public at the Law
and Research Library during business hours. Some of the collections are in open
stacks, e.g., the Genealogy and Law. But parts or all of other
collections, e.g., Arizona state agency publications,
are in closed stacks and must be requested by call number at the reference
desk in Suite 300.
The staff of the Law and Research Library can assist you with identifying
the call numbers of materials you need.
- How do I access your online
catalog?
Our catalog is available on the Web from the homepage of Arizona State
Library, Archives and Public Records at: http://www.lib.az.us
However, please note that not all of the items in our collections are
listed in the online catalog, so please contact
us if you have a question about what is located here.
- May I borrow books from your library?
In general, materials in the collections are kept available to support
the work of the Arizona Legislature and state agency staff and so (with
some exceptions) do NOT circulate.
However, professional practitioners may borrow materials directly from
the Professional
Collection. Some materials from other collections may
be borrowed by Legislators, state agency employees and members of the
State Bar. Members of the public may request materials though
the interlibrary loan service at their
local libraries. Please contact
us if you have questions about what materials do circulate.
- Do you provide crisscross service?
No. However, Arizona
History and Archives Division welcomes you to come in and use their
historical sets of Arizona city directories and telephone books.
- Will you research a topic for me?
It is agency policy to limit research for
an individual to thirty minutes. For more extensive help,
you may wish to contact a professional genealogist or historian.
WE CANNOT LOCATE MISSING PEOPLE.
- Can I get photocopies?
Coin operated photocopiers and a microform reader-printer are available for use
in public areas. In general, self-serve photocopies
are 10¢ per page. Division staff will also make a limited
number of photocopies for you but the charge is 25¢ per page.
- How can I find out if you have what
I want before I drive there?
Since not all of the items in our collections are listed in the online
catalog and many items in our collections are in closed stacks, it's
always a good idea to contact
us before you visit to verify that what you need is here and ask that
it be put on hold for you.
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Updated: 02/06/2009
