My experience at the archives in Menlo Park was surprising to me. I was left downstairs in a basement by myself with all of the records, microfilm & original records ( which were in real disarray) to spend as long as I liked. No one helped, but no one monitored me either. It really looked like they needed someone to come in and organize everything--there are subject listings on many of the catalog drawers (i.e. Baptisms--St. Mary's--1870-1890), but other materials are just set on the floor randomly. I think that writing for information would be pretty useless--you need to go in person and hope that someone will let you go down to look at them. I tried to get an appointment, but was not able to. Fortunately, as I said, they just let me work on my own & I was able to come up with the marriage record of my great grandparents at Old St. Mary's in 1869. Kathy