The UK and Ireland is divided up into geographical areas known as 'local authorities'. These broadly represent major cities and counties. If you know which local authority your place is in, you can go straight to the libraries index and look at the holdings of that local authority.

You can also search the database for a placename, as sometimes more than one local authority will hold information for that place. An example is that records for Swindon may also be held in Wiltshire.

• Finding UK and Ireland placenames
  Some useful advice for when you only know a place name, but need to know the local authority.

• Boundary changes: information you should be aware of
  See whether changes to boundaries mean more than one area holds information about your placename.

If you want more advice on how to proceed, try our guides.