My local library has been very good for resources, but limited for the amount of research I need to do for the various articles I write and the background information I need. Thankfully I live in an area where several colleges and universities are within ten to twenty miles from me. Their libraries are stocked with a variety of materials that are a researcher’s dream: books, magazines, databases, archives, journals, law books, etc.

Because I am not an alumni, I have to pay a yearly fee to borrow books at the school I decided to use. I cannot do inter-library loans from other universities to this one, and I cannot use their databases from home; but I feel it is worth the cost and the travel time to get items that I would not have access to otherwise.

The loan period is 28 days for a maximum of ten books, which gives me plenty of time to peruse the volumes I need.

Will this help with all my research? No, but it is a healthy start. Depending on my budget, I may even add another university later on down the line so I can even have a broader amount of resources. And if I find that funds are limited, I can still visit the other libraries and do some good in-house research without having to borrow any materials.

Why don’t you give your local university a try? You may just find that extra research information you’ve been looking for.

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