Your local area may be filled with valuable resources for research. Within a minimal half hour radius of where I live I can find at least eight extant textile collections, a collection of ledgers, numerous diaries and letters, a long list of material culture collections, and many other useful collections along with the standard County Historian collections. This actually doesn’t include any of the resources in the city, which I can’t count off the top of my head. I suggest starting with a list of possible resources in your area. Then start networking to see who has what. Your list could include town or village historical societies, county historical societies, landmark societies, local libraries, county libraries, museum libraries, museum collections, and private collections. Don’t over look anything. The Jell-O Museum in a nearby town is adjacent to that town’s historical society and has a substantial collection of 19th century underclothing. When you make your list, be sure to write down the open times and contact information. Be prepared for some unusual or restrictive access times. The reading room which has ledgers I consult is open after work only on Tuesdays for about 45 minutes. That takes some strategic planning. Some places will make arrangements for you to look at a collection at specific times. For those places with continuous or rotating exhibits, consider paying a visit during their regular hours or a presentation program. This will let you get an idea of what they have out already and give you an opportunity to introduce your self in person. If the curator has the time while you are there, talk about what you are researching or interested in.
For your visit –
Some organizations have a fee for accessing their libraries or collections. If they do not ask for a fee, it is courteous to give a donation.
When looking at textile or material culture collections:
– Bring your own pair of clean white cotton gloves.
– Bring multiple pencils and a wire-free notebook
– Bring a camera that you can turn the flash off on.
When transcribing or taking notes from original books or letters:
– Bring your own pair of clean white cotton gloves.
– Bring multiple pencils and a wire-free notebook.
– Bring a laptop if allowed.
– Bring a stiff acid free paper for ease in page turning.
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
I was going back through some of my files when I found this list I started….
Getting the most of your local history resources
Historical societies
Books, pamphlets, newspapers, advertisements, photographs, prints, paintings, maps, measured drawings, cemetery records, ephemera (playbills, menus, programs, invitations, sales/auction notices, announcements, posters, ballots, etc.), manuscripts, Government records (census records, tax records, etc.)
Town/village
Local reading rooms
County
State
Public Library local history section (books by local authors, pamphlets, ephemera, magazines, maps, photographs, newspaper indexes, microfilm, ) My local libraries have family indexes, family diaries, cemetery lists, cultural surveys, obituary files, plot maps, photographs, and newspaper clippings.
University special collections
Museum libraries and collections
Topical societies (RR, canal, waterways, mills)
Private collections
Private family records
Church histories (birth, baptism, marriage, & death records, bulletins, )
Club/Fraternal organization records
Local government records (board meeting minutes, annual reports/financial statements, ordinance codes, court records, building permits, water/sewer lines locations, property deeds, birth & death certificates, probate records, civil and criminal case files, etc.)