A Bygdebøk is an historical-genealogical book written for a particular community (usually a kommune or township) in Norway. You can expect these books to include a general history of the area with one or more volumes outlining the history of its farm sites (gårdhistorie). They often detail the genealogical heritage of the families residing on the farm sites (slektshistorie). Bygdebøker are still being written for many parts of Norway and communities whose bygebøker are many years old are writing supplementary volumes to bring them up to date. Although all of Telemark's kommuner have one or more bygdebøker, there are a few areas of Norway for which one is not available.
Extensive collections of bygdebøker can be found in the libraries at St. Olaf College, University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, Concordia College (Moorhead), Luther College (Decorah), and the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks). Some institutions make their bydebøker available via interlibrary loan; talk to your local librarian about how to find and request any bygdebøker that report on your Norwegian ancestral area.