| Whenever you need to check public records or | | | | documentation. Contacting your local and state |
| are making a criminal record search, libraries are a | | | | historical societies can help you identify who the |
| good source to do so both personally and online. | | | | experts on records are within the historian |
| Many libraries, including university libraries, have | | | | community. They can help you a lot when running |
| access to powerful databases that grant you | | | | a background on people and properties on the |
| access to these public records you are looking for | | | | archival records and the census / immigration |
| and many others. | | | | records, and also they can help you locate |
| The federal depository library system designates | | | | additional documents you might not be counting |
| over 1,200 libraries around the nation to hold | | | | on. |
| documents from all three branches of federal | | | | Genealogists. |
| government. The volumes of free documents and | | | | When running a background check on family |
| databases include historical records, statistics, | | | | members, you can encounter with a huge load of |
| regulations, presidential documents and military | | | | paperwork. Genealogists can help you save a |
| records among others. These documents are | | | | large amount of time in this search because they |
| used extensively by academics, genealogists, | | | | are familiarized with where to look for public |
| historians, journalists and all kinds of writers. | | | | records. Again, check the local societies for the |
| Another great source of records is your state | | | | more apt members who can assist you in your |
| archives office. This agency stores all those public | | | | search. |
| records that are often two years or older. | | | | Realtors. |
| It's advisable to contact a federal depository | | | | If you are looking for property records and |
| coordinator to get access to the extensive | | | | documents that will help you find the history of a |
| resources because you should not assume that all | | | | property or home or about the acquisition of such |
| the information is online or that it is easy to find. | | | | properties realtors know how consult and have |
| There's a coordinator in almost all congressional | | | | access to these documents regarding property |
| districts and in every state. | | | | acquisition. |
| Still, these are not the only people who can help | | | | Private investigators. |
| you in getting these public records you are looking | | | | These people move around the document realm |
| for. Many people in other areas of expertise also | | | | with their eyes closed. You can find numerous |
| handle records on a daily basis. They are: | | | | private eyes by searching the phone book and |
| Historians. | | | | even in some states they can be found in the |
| Their research relies mainly on written | | | | government licensing area. |