There is little doubt that a library is essential for genealogists. Still, with the emphasis on researching at a library, we may be forgetting about an essential part of its online presence, digital collections.

I realize not every library website includes digital collections, but enough do to include them when considering the public library located where your ancestors lived.

A digital collection is an online collection of digitized material that range from newspapers to historical photographs, books, and documents. While these collections aren't typically described as "genealogical," they have genealogical value. These collections will be found on the library website under a research or collections heading (for example). They may also be referred to as a digital archive or digital collection.

Let's look at an example from the Evansville, Indiana Public Library. While it's probably more apparent that a large public or academic library hosts digital collections, don't assume a local public library would not. In this example, their digital collections are found by clicking on the word Collections at the top toolbar, and then under Special Collections, choose Digital Archive.

"The Digital Archive collection created by the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library contains images of photographs, postcards, cartoons, and documents representing people, places, and things in and around Evansville, Indiana.

Original images in this collection are from the Indiana Collection, located at Central Library in downtown Evansville, or from local residents."

So, what has genealogical value here? Almost everything, but pay special attention to the directories and yearbooks. Once you find the collection you're interested in, you can browse it to find the exact item like any digitized book collection you are familiar with. Once you select a singular directory, you can search within that book.

Once you're done exploring those, the homepage for the Digital Archive includes links to other collections, including genealogical.

Although I chose to start with a US example, any online library may include digital collections. Consider this example from the Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada public library. In this case, the digital collections are part of a more extensive offering the library has, combining free and paid subscription databases. Not clearly labeled, this one took a little more effort to find, but it was under Books & More at the top toolbar and then All Online Resources.

Like most libraries, this one includes their subscription-based offerings, accessible with a library card, but they also have links to free collections, including the Alberta Heritage Digitization Project which is "free online access to cultural and heritage materials. Browse newspapers from 1885, read entire books about local communities, research legal documents, view historic photographs, and explore much more!" Yearbooks are just one of the genealogical finds you'll see in this collection.

Libraries are vital for genealogists but don't forget what they can offer your research virtually. An online search of your ancestor's local public library (or even another one nearby) might reveal historical photographs, newspapers, directories, or digitized books that can help your genealogical search. Don't stop at the library homepage or even the catalog. Explore the entire website to see what genealogical items might exist.

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.

The recording of today's webinar by Roberta Estes, "Wringing Every Drop out of Mitochondrial DNA" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

 

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

Roberta Estes has been a professional scientist and business owner for over 25 years, as well as an obsessed genealogist since 1978. In 2005, reflecting her interest and expertise in genetics for genealogy, she formed DNAeXplain, a company providing individual analysis of DNA results and genealogical assistance.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of today's webinar by Uri Gonen, "Different Ways to View Your Tree at MyHeritage" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free.

 

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

Uri Gonen has been working at MyHeritage since 2005 where he took on different challenges and roles in product development and product management. He has been part of the wild journey of MyHeritage from a small startup to a dominant company in the genealogy space. Among his involvement in key projects of the company, Uri was the original developer behind Family Tree Builder, and the product manager of MyHeritage’s genealogy search engine. Recently, Uri was involved in several genealogical projects such as PedigreeMap, Pedigree View, Tree Consistency Checker and several integrations with FamilySearch. Before joining MyHeritage, Uri has worked in other software startups in Israel, the United States and Canada. He now lives and works in Toronto, Canada.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of today's webinar by Denyce Porter Peyton, "Unlocking Stories of Our Female Ancestors through Effective Research Methodology" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

 

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

Denyce has been an avid genealogist for over 25 years, providing professional research since 2004. She is a member of the National Genealogical Society, Association for Professional Genealogists, Ohio Genealogical Society, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky Genealogical Society, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Hamilton County Genealogical Society, African American Genealogy Group of Kentucky and the lineage society of Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage. Her research specialties focus on nineteenth and twentieth century Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Southeastern states, and African Americans in antebellum and post-Emancipation eras. She provides research services to a diverse client base. Denyce has participated and received completion certificates in “Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis” at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), University of Georgia (July 2017), the ProGen31 study group from June 2016-November 2017, and “Genealogy Writing from Planning to Publication” at the Midwestern African American Genealogy Institute, Fort Wayne, Indiana (July 2018). She researched and authored an investigative study, “African American Settlement in Allen County, Ohio – through Census Schedules”, published in Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 52 No 3 Fall 2012, and provided independent research efforts for an episode of Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s “Finding Your Roots” on PBS.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of tonight's webinar by The Board for Certification of Genealogists and David S. Ouimette, CG, CGL, "Proving Parentage Two Centuries Later Using DNA Evidence" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com/BCG for free for a limited time.

 

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

David Ouimette, Certified Genealogist®, Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠, manages Content Strategy for Asia and the Pacific at FamilySearch, prioritizing records of genealogical value for digital preservation and online publication. His team prioritizes camera placement and targets records for preservation in national, regional, and local archives. David has researched in several hundred archives in over sixty countries spanning all continents. Previously, David was product manager at Ancestry.com, responsible for family trees, United States records, DNA testing, and the search experience. David regularly lectures at national genealogical conferences and institutes. He serves as a Trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists and has served as Vice President of the Utah Genealogical Association and on the board of the National Genealogical Society. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mathematics from Brigham Young University, has contributed articles to many magazines and journals, and authored Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide. David and his wife, Deanna, live in Highland, Utah, are the parents of eight children, and have seven grandchildren.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at:

• 8pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 7pm Central
• 6pm Mountain
• 5pm Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of Friday's webinar by Ann G. Lawthers, Sc.D., "Expelled from Nova Scotia: Researching the Acadian Diaspora to the Colonies" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.