About local and family history

The Local Studies service offers family and local history resources for the Bradford Metropolitan District and the West Yorkshire region. We have a wide range of material including books and maps, plus free access to several genealogy and historical newspaper websites.

The two main Local Studies libraries in the district are in Bradford and Keighley, but many of the branches can also provide local knowledge and help with finding family history information on the Internet. Friendly and supportive members of staff are available to answer your questions – just ask!

Local studies websites

Available in the library only

• Ancestry
• British Newspaper Archive
• Find My Past

Remote access with your library card

• Nineteenth Century Newspapers
• Find out who was born in Bradford with Oxford DNB

West Yorkshire Archive Service

• West Yorkshire Archive Service website
• West Yorkshire Archive Service online catalogue