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The Family
History Library Catalog™, the gem of the Family History
Library, describes over 2 million rolls of
microfilm and hundreds of thousands of books and maps. It does not
contain the actual records, only descriptions of them. The records
described in the catalog come from throughout the world. It is the
best resource on the FamilySearch Web site, in my opinion. This
catalog is also available on CD and microfiche at the Family History Library
and at local Family History Centers, but to have it available for
searching online is of amazing benefit. You can do much of your
research from home at whatever time is convenient and, therefore, maximize
your research time at your local Family History Center (FHC).
To access the online version of the Family History Library Catalog go to the Familysearch homepage (www.familysearch.org) and select either the Family History Library System picture or the Search tab. From there, select the Family History Library Catalog™ from the navigation tabs at the top of the page. Here you are presented with the following options:
Let's start with the place search, as this is the one that you will likely use the most often. The place search screen contains two boxes:
In the first box, type the place you want to find entries for. I
would suggest that you start your search with a very specific place name,
such as a city, town or county. The Family History Library contains a
huge amount of information and if you search on something broad (such as a
country) you will end up with too many results to wade through.
The second field is optional. Since many places have the same names, you can limit your search by adding a jurisdiction (a larger geographic area that includes your search location) of the place you want to find. For example, you can add the state name when searching for a county. If you do not know the name of the jurisdiction, then just search on the name itself. The catalog will return a list of all jurisdictions which contain that particular place name and you can then select the one which best meets your expectations. Place Search Tips
Next page > What if I Don't Find the Place That I Want? > Page 1, 2, 3, 4
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