When Visiting The Local History Collection

When planning a visit to the Local History Collection, please call or e-mail ahead to verify hours. If you will need reference assistance or an introduction to the LHC, please contact us in advance of your visit, so that arrangements can be made to have someone available to help you. An 18-minute "virtual tour" of the collection is available to view at the Local History computer.

Tips for planning a visit to the library:

1. Call or e-mail in advance to verify hours
2. Consult online indexes available from this page or visit the Van Buren County GenWeb, the official website of VBRGS
3. Make a list of items to view, including titles and call numbers; to locate materials in the LHC, consult the online catalogs of the VBDL and VBRGS
4. Have a research focus; make a list of needed records and names to search
5. Organize your information into a quick-reference format such as family group sheets, or a genealogical software program
6. Upon arrival, consult the Local History Master Index first, as a quick locator to items in the collection pertaining to your family or topic of interest