Print edition: 
Each Monday, The Eagle highlights a government record that is available to the public. Open records help people keep government in check and help them better understand how government affects their lives.
For a complete list of You Oughta Know columns, go to www.kansas.com/oughta.
What they are: Local records on microfilm.
Why you would want them: To have copies of documents from your grandparents' and great-grandparents' generations. The Kansas State Historical Society has thousands of reels of microfilm from local government offices, including county registers of deeds, county clerks and court clerks of the District Court. Not all records are available from every Kansas county or city office.
How to get them: Visit the Kansas State Historical Society, 6425 SW Sixth Ave., Topeka, or call 785-272-8681, Ext. 117, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Copies are also available at many libraries or through interlibrary loan through the Kansas State Historical Society.
How much it will cost: The information is free; there may be costs for copying records.
