The Kiplinger Research Library is the DC History Center’s special collections repository of local Washington, DC history. Our collections are enjoyed and studied by scholars, journalists, authors, local residents, genealogists, and students. Anyone interested in local DC history is encouraged to explore our collections.
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Tuesdays 3 – 7 pm, and Thursdays 10 am – noon and 1 – 3 pm, or by special arrangement.
Appointments are available to the public by appointment only. We request that you contact us at library@dchistory.org at least one week prior to your desired appointment date. Prior to your visit, we ask that you provide a list of materials that you would like to access during your research appointment.
Please include the following information with your appointment request:
Reference staff will confirm the date and time of your appointment via email. If necessary, appointments may be requested by calling the Kiplinger Research Library at 202-991-2326. While this line is not actively staffed, we check messages regularly.
During your appointment, you will be asked to complete two forms:
If you wish to fill them out ahead of time, you may do so and email the completed forms to library@dchistory.org.
Personal scanning appointments are open to anyone who is interested in digitizing their personal documents and photographs. These scans will be yours to keep. Unless a patron requests that their items be evaluated for inclusion in our digital archive, the library will not retain any files past delivery.
At the start of your two-hour scanning appointment, library staff will show you how to use the overhead and photo scanning equipment. After your appointment, you will receive a link from the library with your high-resolution images available for download.
Note: Personal scanning equipment is only for paper material and photographic prints only. We are unable to digitize video or audio materials or slides of any type.
During your appointment, you will be asked to complete this form: Scanner Appointment Registration
If you wish to fill it out ahead of time, you may do so and email the completed form to library@dchistory.org.
Have a simple question? Need to know a date or a street address? Need to reference specific materials in our collection? Our staff and volunteers will search maps, broadsides, city directories, real estate atlases and other ready reference materials. If applicable, we may provide up to five smartphone photographs of resources, for reference use only. We may also suggest other repositories or avenues you can take to learn more about your topic.
To send a reference query, email library@dchistory.org with the following information:
For queries that require more in-depth consultation of materials in our collection, you will be referred to our paid research services option. Your request will be addressed in the order of receipt, typically within ten business days.
For research questions that require more extensive consultation of materials in our collection, we offer a paid research service option. For a flat fee of $50, a staff member will research on your behalf for up to one hour in the collections. Included in this service are up to 10 smartphone photographs of resources, for reference use only.
To request our Paid Research Services option, email library@dchistory.org with the following information:
A librarian will respond to discuss your request and confirm details and a timeframe for delivery. Your question will be processed after payment is received.
Our Paid Research Service option is constrained by the time available for us to undertake your request – we will let you know if we have capacity to do this work within the desired timeframe when you make your request. Paid Research Service is for research in the Kiplinger Research Library’s archival collections only, and we cannot guarantee that an answer to your research question will be found in the time allotted. Access to these collections is free of charge for in-person research at the Kiplinger Research Library.
The Kiplinger Research Library provides and licenses digital reproductions of materials in the collections upon request.
High-resolution scans (of documents) and digital reproductions (of photos) of collection material are available for a fee.
Permission fees are charged per image, per format, and are separate from digital reproduction charges.
A 20% discount on research services is provided to members at the $60 level and above. You can learn more about our membership benefits here.
Some materials in our collection cannot be scanned or reproduced digitally because of their size, fragility, location, or copyright status. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis. The DC History Center does not provide printed reproductions.
Scans (Documents)
Digital Reproductions (Photos)
Complete and submit a Digital Image Request Form.
Your request will be processed in the order of receipt, typically within ten business days. For a faster turnaround you can add a “rush fee’ to your order. Your rush request may be granted depending on availability.
When your order is ready – you will receive an invoice payable online. Your files will be digitally transferred to you after payment is received.
The provision of a digital reproduction does not convey permission to publish the image; express permission must be requested and granted prior to publication.
Permission fees are charged per image, per format, and are separate from image reproduction charges. Permission is for one-time use; releases and new editions require a new permission request. Please note, there is a flat $10 service fee for each permission order. Review the fee schedule.
Permission must be sought to determine if:
In some cases, we do not know the source of an item in our collection – ultimately, full rights assessment is the researcher’s responsibility.
After completing your Digital Image Request, submit a Permission Request Form.
Copyright clearance is rarely straightforward – full copyright assessment is the researcher’s responsibility. Below are two resources we have found helpful when considering “use” of collection materials.
Willard Monroe Kiplinger (1891-1967), founder of the Kiplinger Washington Editors, was a journalist who moved from Ohio to Washington in 1916 and worked as a reporter covering the U.S. Treasury. Within a few years he formed his own company, the Kiplinger Washington Agency, and on September 23, 1923, launched the first Kiplinger Washington letter.
The first Kiplinger Collection acquisitions were made by W.M. Kiplinger to decorate the walls of his offices at the Albee Building on 15th Street and later at the National Press Building. As the company grew, so too did the art collection. In 1950, the Kiplinger organization moved into the Editors Building, its own 10-story building, at 1729 H Street NW.
Expansion of the collection continued under W.M. Kiplinger’s son, Austin, and grandsons, Todd and Knight, all executives of the Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Together the three generations assembled an important, historically rich collection that reflects their commitment to the city of Washington.