Genealogy Research
The Kansas City facility has extensive microfilm holdings of value for genealogy research, among them:
Researchers using microfilm do not need a researcher's ID card.
Historical Research
NARA's Central Plains Region in Kansas City has more than 35,000 cubic feet of archival holdings, including textual documents, photographs, maps, and architectural drawings, dating from about 1821 to the 1980s. These archival holdings were created or received by the Federal courts and over 70 Federal agencies in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Federal law requires that agencies transfer permanently valuable, noncurrent records to NARA.
Among subjects of local interest are: frontier and territorial history; American Indians native to the Northern Great Plains; the development of natural resources; court cases involving fugitive slave Dred Scott, Birdman of Alcatraz Robert Stroud, automobile entrepreneur Henry Ford, and civil rights pioneer Oliver Brown, who challenged school segregation in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
The archival holdings are arranged by record group (abbreviated RG), a body of records from an agency or bureau, identified by an RG number. Selected finding aids, including a comprehensive guide to archival holdings, are available by mail and online. Research can be initiated in person, by telephone, mail, fax, or electronic mail. Individuals who wish to use original records on-site will facilitate their research by calling before visiting.
Before using archival holdings, every researcher must obtain a researcher identification card. An applicant must show identification that includes a photograph, such as a driver's license, passport, or school or business identification card, and complete a short form giving name, address, telephone number, and a brief description of the proposed research topic. A researcher ID card, valid for 3 years and renewable, is then issued. It must be presented during each research visit.
Microfilmed records
In addition to unique original records, the Kansas facility has extensive holdings of National Archives microfilm publications. These publications reproduce basic documentation for the study of history, economics, public administration, political science, law, ethnology, genealogy, and other subjects. Included are records relating to U.S. diplomacy, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Native American-Government relations, westward expansion, and World War II.
Bankruptcy Case Files
The Kansas City facility has bankruptcy and other case files from Federal, U.S. district and bankruptcy courts in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Information about access to them is available online.
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The facility is in the southeast quadrant of Kansas City, 3 miles inside I-435, at 2312 East Bannister Road. Take I-435 to Bannister Road exit. Go west on Bannister. Turn right at 95th Terrace and go east to Garfield. Turn left onto Garfield and take it north to Santa Fe Trail. Turn right and proceed into the NARA parking area.