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> Local Centres of Information > Local Studies Centres > Introduction
Virtually every county, city and metropolitan borough council in England and Wales operates one or more local studies centres. They are often located within the council's main reference library. In some cases they are merged with the local record office to provide an integrated archives service.
Please note that only the principal local studies centres are listed on this web site for each council. In addition to these main centres, many councils provide family history resources in a good number of their branch libraries.
The genealogical sources provided in local studies centres commonly include:
- past local directories
- past local electoral registers
- past local newspapers
- local history publications
- microfiche indexes to registered births, marriages and deaths
- microfiche or computer access to the International Genealogical Index (IGI)
- computer access to the National Burial Index
- computer access to the 1881 Census