It would not be efficient to take all of your genealogy records with you. Be sure to keep a copy of your family records at home as well. Make a to-do list with specific research goals, collections you would like to search, and questions you would like to ask. Concentrate on using indexes, manuscript collections, unpublished records, rare books, photographs, and sources unique to the library or archives where you are researching. If you take a laptop computer along, be sure to keep a copy of your programs and data files in your home or office.
Most libraries provide space for researchers with computers.
Be sure to take a security chain to lock your laptop to the desk while you are away from it. You should consider taking a camera along with extra film, since you may have an opportunity to take pictures of relatives, ancestral homes, gravestones, courthouses, and so forth. Be sure to have an extra camera battery. You should also take a cassette tape recorder with extra tapes, in case you have an opportunity to interview relatives. Be sure to make an appointment before you do the oral history interview, and make a list of questions you want to ask during the interview.