If you want to do your own research in a library, our staff are happy to help find answers to your questions. You don't need to be a library member to use these services.
Our dedicated enquiry service
Ask our dedicated enquiry service for help with quick questions and general knowledge, as well as in-depth local and family history enquiries. Call, email or use our online form:
Basic enquiries are free of charge. Detailed research that we do for you is charged on an hourly basis, and there is a small charge for printing and photocopying. Please allow up to five working days for a response.
Help us to help you
Whatever you need to know, it will always help if you can tell us:
- exactly what you want – such as the name of a particular street you are interested in, rather than ‘I want to know about the history of Hastings'
- who you are – are you a child or an adult?
- what you want it for – is it for a school project, university thesis, hobby or something else?
- when you will need the information
- what information you already have
- where you live – include your email and postal address so we can send you relevant information or refer your question to another library or organisation.
Enquire – national live question and answer service
Enquire is a world-first, offering a nationwide live question and answer service 24 hours a day, every day.
Special collections and items
We have special collections of military history, rare and out-of-print books. They are kept at our reserve store which is not open to the public, so you will need to join the library to ask for these items to be sent to your local library.
You can try to get specialist books, articles and theses from libraries outside East Sussex – find out how to reserve titles not on the E-library catalogue.
Information about Brighton & Hove
We have general resources on Brighton & Hove, and detailed information is available at East Sussex Record Office or Brighton & Hove libraries.
East Sussex County Council