Using
FamilySearch Internet and the Resources of the Family History Centers
Special Chat!
David Rencher,
director of the Family History Library and its collection of Family
History Centers around the world will be a guest in
our chat room on April 11, 2001 to answer questions about Using
FamilySearch Internet and the Resources of the Family History Centers.
This special lecture is a part of an ongoing series sponsored by the U.S.
National Genealogical Society. Check out the CHAT INFO
Family History Services of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
The Family History Library
The Library is located
at 35 North West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150.
You do not have
to pay to enter the Library or to use its facilities and collection. You will
need to pay for copies you make.
At the Family History Library you can:
Use
the computer files and the large collection of books and microfilms of original
records which have been gathered from around the world to
Find out what other
people have done to collect and publish information about your ancestors
Verify the accuracy of information you have bout your ancestor
Find new
information about your ancestors for your own family records.
Ask a
professional staff or trained volunteer your questions and they will guide you
in doing your research.
The FamilySearch Center
The FamilySearch Center is located in the Joseph
Smith Memorial Building,15 East South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah,
84150.
At the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, you can:
Get help with starting your family history research.
Get help in many
languages, which are spoken by volunteers and staff there.
Use the large
collection of published family histories which have been donated to the Library
by thousands of patrons to look for information about your ancestors.
Use the
large collection of Family Group Records which were compiled and submitted
before 1979 to see if any temple ordinances have been done and to learn if the
information on them matches yours.
Family History Centers
Most centers are located inside buildings belonging to The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some centers are located within other public or
private research facilities.
Each center is staffed by volunteers and sets its own hours of operation.
Call the center before you plan to visit.
To locate the center nearest you
Call (800)
346-6044 in the United States or Canada.
Visit the web site
www.familysearch.org which lists the addresses and telephone numbers of
Family History Centers located throughout the U.S. and the world.
Admission to Family History
Centers is free, but a distribution fee is charged to circulate microfilms to
the centers.
Each center contains a core
collection of basic research materials selected to aid individuals beginning
their research.The material available in each center varies, but all hold
copies of the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC), the Ancestral File, and
the International Genealogical Index (IGI).
Allow access most of the
microforms held by the Family History Library.
Books and periodicals held
by the Family History Library do not circulate to the centers unless they are
on microform.
Some centers contain
materials unique to their locality which do not circulate to other Family
History Centers or the Family History Library.
The FamilySearch Internet Genealogical Service
By using the Family History Genealogical Service site on the Internet you can
Search on-line resources and databases which include over 600 million
names for information. These databases include:
Pedigree Resource File
Ancestral File
International Genealogical Index
Vital records and census indexes
Use the Family History Library Catalog to get descriptions and call
numbers for books and films at the Library.
Order Family History Library publications that can help you in your family
history work.
Browse web sites with information about censuses, court and legal records,
cultural and religious groups, land and property records, and more.
Contribute your personal genealogical information.
Download a free copy of the Personal Ancestral File, a computer program to
help you organize your genealogy.
Search for the name of a deceased relative in databases or in thousands of
linked web sites.
Search for specific names or places using key word searches.