| Even if you do not have access to a computer or | | | | respective city or town. When skip tracing an |
| the internet, the local library in your area is a perfect | | | | individual whose address you have is no longer valid, |
| place to conduct research when searching that | | | | you can thumb through the library's old phone books |
| missing buddy of yours from your high school days. | | | | and determine when, give or take a year or so, your |
| It is likely that the public library already has | | | | subject moved. Your next step is to check out the |
| computers in its cubicles that are hooked up to the | | | | criss-cross directory and identify the neighbors who |
| Internet. Not only does the public library have | | | | lived there during the same time your subject did. |
| computers as resource tools for the private | | | | Then, use the current criss-cross to see if any of |
| investigator, it also has reference books that are | | | | those neighbors are still living there, and go out and |
| highly valuable resources. | | | | talk with them to see what they know. It is possible |
| For the purposes of skip tracing, the two main | | | | that they may very well know your subject and |
| resources that a private investigator uses at the local | | | | might be able to tell you where he or she moved to. |
| library are the criss-cross directory (a.k.a. reverse | | | | They might even know the name of your subject's |
| directory or a city directory) and, believe it or not, | | | | employer. |
| old telephone directories. | | | | With the age of the Internet, many libraries now |
| The main branch of your local library has telephone | | | | have access to pay databases that you can access |
| books not only for the city in which you live, but for | | | | from your own home by typing in your library card |
| major cities around the country. It also contains | | | | number. Bet you did not know that. Did you? |
| phone books for many other towns within your | | | | Databases such as criss-cross directories, |
| state. | | | | Thompson-Gale and many more are available to the |
| If you have a phone number or street address in a | | | | public with a library card. If you can not access these |
| city outside your own, contact the library in that city | | | | databases from your own home computer using your |
| and ask for the reference desk. If possible, the | | | | library card number, you might have to access these |
| reference desk attendant will look up the address, | | | | databases from the library's computers. |
| name, or phone number you give them in the local | | | | By utilizing the public library's resources in assisting |
| criss-cross directory and give you the information. | | | | you in skip trace case, you can save yourself a dollar |
| Some libraries will maintain a collection of telephone | | | | or two. |
| directories spanning the last 10 years for your | | | | |