The extent and physical conditions of diffuse gas in the outer regions of galaxies are currently the subject of considerable interest. A very sensitive way to probe the gas is by observing the absorption lines it produces in the spectra of background objects. However, a detailed investigation of the interstellar medium associated with external galaxies requires the availability, in the field of the galaxy under study, of several probes (QSOs, Active Galactic Nuclei, supernovae) which are: (a) sufficiently bright for high-resolution spectroscopy (B ≤ 17.5) and, (b) located over a range of projected distances from the galaxy, say from 10 to 200 kpc. As there are very few QSOs in the literature which meet these requirements, we have been carrying out a search of nearby galaxy fields for the specific purpose of finding a number of suitable background probes.