The public library in Lancashire, England is a well-funded and progressive organization. They have a policy of offering library cards to anyone who requests one--you do not have to live in Lancashire or even be a resident of the UK.
Their online collection includes a number of resources useful in genealogical research, such as the 19th century British Library Newspapers collection, Who's Who and Who Was Who, and the Dictionary of National Biography.
The page with a list of their online materials can be found here, and the page to apply for access (if these materials would be useful to you) is here.
