Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General Questions

General Questions

• Q: Your site has files that I can't open.  How do I open PDF files?
  A: There is a free downloadable program from Adobe, called Acrobat Reader, that will allow you to view PDF files.  Here is the link to that site.
• Q: How should I plan my visit?
  A: The Department of Cultural Resources operates nearly 40 facilities around North Carolina for your education and enjoyment. These facilities operate on different schedules. Please check the web pages available from this site for the times and locations of the facilities that interest you. Times of operation do change, so please call the sites to ensure that any last minute closings will not catch you by surprise.
• Q: How do I find a job with a division of the Department of Cultural Resources? (Art Museum, History Museum, etc.)
  A: A list of current openings within the Department of Cultural Resources is available here.
• Q: How do I order a birth certificate?
  How do I get a copy of an old school record?
  How do I research my family's history?
  A: Request official records
  Obtain a birth or death certificate
  Order a copy of a marriage or divorce certificate
  Obtain academic records
  Research my family history
  Conduct historical research
  Other Vital Records
• Q: Where do I park in downtown Raleigh?
  A: See the parking map.

Relating to the N.C. State Archives:

• Q: How do I go about ordering copies of original and microfilmed public records?
  A: You can order copies online. (Back to the top)

Relating to Records Management:

• Q: What is the difference between the State Records Center and the State Archives?
  A: The State Records Center stores inactive records for state agencies, and access to those records is limited to the creating agency. The State Archives stores permanently valuable records of government, organizations, and citizens. With a few exceptions, anyone can view the records in the State Archives.
• Q: Is the records retention and disposition schedule for my agency available online?
  A: If you work for a state agency, check here to see if your agency’s schedule is online. We are in the process of putting all new schedules on the web and hope to retrospectively post previously approved schedules in the near future. If you work for a county or municipal government agency, check here for local government retention and disposition schedules available online.
• Q: Does the State Records Center charge for the services it provides?
  A: Currently, agencies that wish to transfer records to the State Records Center must purchase boxes, box labels, and box tape. There also is a fee associated with the destruction/recycling of records that have reached the end of their retention period. All other services are free of charge.
• Q: Does the State Records Center offer records management training?
  A: Yes. Training workshops are offered at the State Records Center twice a month from September through April. Workshops also can be conducted locally for county or municipal agencies. A schedule for current workshops is available here.
• Q: Is e-mail a public record?
  A: The content of e-mail is a public record unless a specific statute exempts it from public inspection. See this document for guidance on the retention and disposition of e-mail.
• Q: Where is the State Records Center located?
  A: The State Records Center is at 215 N. Blount Street in downtown Raleigh. It is on the corner of Lane and N. Blount Streets and is directly across the street from the Governor’s Mansion.
• Q: Can the State Records Center microfilm the minutes of our local board or commission?
  A: Yes. Call the Local Records Unit at (919) 807-7350, and see their website for additional information. (Back to the top)

Relating to publications available

• Q: Where is the Historical Publication’s FAQ page
  A: Historical Publications FAQ (Back to the top)

Relating to the Outer Banks History Center:

• Q: What is the Outer Banks History Center?
  A: The Outer Banks History Center, located in Manteo, is a research facility administered by the Special Collections Branch, Archives and Records Section, Division of Historical Resources, Office of Archives and History of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The Outer Banks History Center’s holdings include books, periodicals, personal papers, maps, photographs, engravings, organizational records, oral history recordings, and ephemera related to the Outer Banks region and coastal issues. The core collection was donated to the state by author and historian David Stick in 1985.
• Q: Where can I find information about shipwrecks in North Carolina and the United States Life-saving Service?
  A: The Outer Banks History Center in Manteo specializes in maritime history and culture, and provides reference services onsite and via telephone, mail, and e-mail.
• Q: Where can I find information about North Carolina lighthouses?
  A: The Outer Banks History Center in Manteo specializes in maritime history and culture, and provides reference services onsite and via telephone, mail, and e-mail.
• Q: Where can I find information about the Freedmen’s Colony on Roanoke Island?
  A: The Outer Banks History Center in Manteo specializes in the history of the North Carolina coast, and provides reference services onsite and via telephone, mail, and e-mail.
• Q: Where can I find information about the Civil War on the North Carolina coast?
  A: The Outer Banks History Center in Manteo specializes in the history of the North Carolina coast, and provides reference services onsite and via telephone, mail, and e-mail.
• Q: Where can I find information about the Lost Colony?
  A: The Outer Banks History Center in Manteo specializes in the history of the North Carolina coast, and provides reference services onsite and via telephone, mail, and e-mail. (Back to the top)

Relating to Roanoke Island Festival Park:

• Q: Did the colonists come to Roanoke Island on the Elizabeth II?
  A: The Elizabeth II is a 69-foot representative l6th-century sailing vessel meaning it is representative of the type ships that brought colonists to the New World from l584 to l587. Great care was taken for authenticity when she was built as part of America’s 400th Anniversary. The Elizabeth II was launched in November 1983.
• Q: Does the Elizabeth II really sail?
  A: Yes, with a captain, staff, and volunteer crewmembers she visits coastal North Carolina ports to share history with school groups and the general public. The Elizabeth II can often be found as part of community celebrations.
• Q: What does Festival Park include in addition to the Elizabeth II?
  A: Roanoke Island Festival Park is a state historic site that celebrates history and the arts. The learning and fun include the ship and a working settlement site complete with garbed interpreters who speak of the l580s, a hands-on adventure museum covering 400 years of Outer Banks history, a history garden for specialty history programs, a film entitled “The Legend of Two Path,” an art gallery with monthly changing art events, a 230-seat indoor theatre that presents film and performances including the popular summer children’s professional theatre series, an outdoor pavilion with lawn seating for 3,000 for concerts, large events and residence during the summer of the North Carolina School of the Arts “Illuminations” series that includes drama, dance, music, and film. Treasures abound in the Museum Store. Beautiful grounds for picnics and marsh-side boardwalks make Festival Park a very popular Outer Banks attraction.
• Q: Is there an admission fee to Festival Park?
  A: General admission to Festival Park is $8. Students are $5 and children 5 and under are free. (Back to the top)

Relating to the USS North Carolina Battleship:

• Q: When will the Battleship leave Wilmington to go to dry-dock and how long will it be gone?
  A: Assuming funding and dry-dock availability, a departure in late 2007 for what should be a four to five month period.
• Q: Where will the Battleship go to dry-dock?
  A: The closest shipyard with a dry-dock large enough to take the Battleship is located in the Norfolk, Virginia area.
• Q: Where do I sign up to ride the Battleship when it goes to dry-dock?
  A: Unfortunately, you can’t. Since the Battleship will be towed to the shipyard, the Coast Guard will only permit a small riding crew for security purposes. (Back to the top)

Secretary
Lisbeth C. Evans

Governor
Michael F. Easley

NCID Training Video

Beacon Video for DCR Employees

Department of Cultural Resources
109 East Jones Street || MSC 4601
Raleigh, NC 27699-4601
Phone: (919) 807-7385
Fax: (919) 733-1620
Email