#regional archives

I've been trying to track down a comprehensive regional archive catalog for my 19th-century family research, and I'm getting nowhere. The last archive I visited had a catalog that was so disorganized, it was like they expected me to already know exactly what I was looking for. I spent hours browsing through dusty shelves and digging through outdated indexes, only to find a few scattered records that might have been relevant. It's amazing how some of these archives can be so behind the times when it comes to cataloging and digitization. Has anyone else had a similar experience with regional archives? I'm starting to think that some of these places are more interested in preserving the past than in making it accessible to researchers.