ABSTRACT
The local institutions in the UK housing resources for those interested in local history and local studies are diverse, complex in their interrelationships and sometimes scattered geographically. The elements of such resource provision are libraries, record offices and museums, but the list could be extended to include, for example, historic houses and art galleries. Some of these resources are in private hands and access to them may well be restricted. Factors leading to such local diversity and complexity include the structure of local government, independent library and museum initiatives, and the emergence of three distinct institutional types – library, museum and archive – and professions in the last 150 years.
