Libraries and archives with major genealogical collections are an important way to develop your family history, particularly once you have traced your ancestors back four generations or more.
Libraries and archives with major genealogical collections are an important way to develop your family history, particularly once you have traced your ancestors back four generations or more. Such collections include compiled family histories and genealogies, local histories, and reference materials that can be extremely helpful in your research. In addition, most libraries and archives have unique collections of unpublished materials including such things as Bible records, photo and newspaper clipping files, and surname files. Your local library probably belongs to a countywide web of digital resources that you can access from home using your library bar code. Library digital web products for patrons contain many genealogical resources such as online historical newspaper collections (i.e. ProQuest, Readex, New York Times Historical Archive), Federal Census free access (Heritage Quest), biographical profiles (i.e., Who’s Who) and much more.