Don't overlook your local or state library when you do research. Most city or county libraries have genealogy or local history collections. Many libraries are putting their materials online.

Also, don't forget historical societies, colleges, and museums. Many of them have collections that are open to the public. (I went to a genealogical forum at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. The curator pointed me to a 1930s WPA collection that had articles dictated by my ancestors. I had no idea that it existed. They were elderly veterans during the Depression, and one WPA project was to document memories of Union and Confederate veterans.)

Many churches have historians. They have helped me a lot with my genealogical research. There is an Episcopal church in Virginia Beach that has volunteer researchers. They've graciously answered many of my questions about church and cemetery records.

The March 2008 edition of Woman's Day has an interesting article on libraries and people who have been able to do interesting things because of what they found there. Check it out!