Genealogy on the web You're at the reference desk. Again! This time, the library has just opened. You're fresh, alert, and ready for that first patron. She approaches the desk and proceeds to tell you that she wants to start researching her family. Ah, genealogy. Any ideas? Well, luckily Ancestry.com was created—this user-friendly database is considered by many to be the primo family history resource. Genealogical research seems to have become more popular over the last few years, perhaps because the records are more accessible. Most of the historical records at our library are limited by what the library always had, and we don't usually acquire many new historical records unless someone writes a book. So Ancestry.com is a great investment for us and well worth its affordable price.

Because it works

Continually updated and growing, Ancestry.com contains all kinds of indexes, including U.S. and U.K. census, birth, marriage, death, immigration, and military records. There are also U.S. school yearbooks, which are searchable by state, school, and years, as well as downloadable forms like ancestral charts, research calendars, and family group sheets. You can search by name and limit your searches geographically or by year or use the exact match option, but sometimes exact matches do not yield much owing to possible misspellings (especially in the cases of immigrant names or middle names). You can always choose to do a general search if you aren't finding what you want. The records are divided into three categories: Historical Records, Stories and Publications, and Photos and Maps. Historical Records contains census and voter lists; birth, marriage, and death records; immigration and emigration; military directories and members lists; court, land, wills, and financial records; and dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference. Stories and Collections contains slave narratives and selected newspapers and periodicals. The "card catalog" option allows you to search the databases alphabetically, which is helpful if you are looking for something specific like Stars and Stripes, the newspaper of the Armed Forces. In addition, you can also limit your search by date. Other varied examples of indexes available are an Irish Flax Growers List 1796 for flax buffs, New York Passenger Lists 1820–1957 for immigrant info, and U.S. Passport Applications 1795–1925. These data are compiled from different sources, so the amount of information can vary.

Because we need it

As I said, the public's interest in geneaology is on the upswing; it seems that whenever I'm at the reference desk, someone is using Ancestry.com. This is reason alone to consider subscribing if you don't already. Another is ease of use. Does anyone remember the old days when we used to have to get all census microfilm through interlibrary loan? It was a tedious process. Some libraries would not loan, and others required payment. Sometimes people had to travel to get what they wanted, and, of course, some still do for rare items that do not circulate. More and more, these types of records are becoming available through databases like Ancestry.com and via historical societies that use volunteers to put their information online to share. And as we all know, a database is only useful if people know it's there, so don't forget to market it by taking advantage of your institution's web site and newsletter. Libraries like Boulder Public Library, for example, offer on-site classes on researching genealogy on the Internet to give patrons a more exclusive hands-on type of experience. It's a great alternative to trying to orient a patron to a new database while stationed at the reference desk with the phone ringing and a line forming. I also recently discovered George G. Morgan's 2007 book, The Official Guide to Ancestry.com, a concise introductory aid to help wade through the wealth of information found on this rich site. Another great source of information and a good starting point for your patron's further research is Cyndi's List of Geneaology Sites on the Internet. One caveat: there are some differences between a personal Ancestry.com subscription (e.g., treemaking and social networking) and the library edition. But most patrons are glad that they don't need to subscribe individually to an expensive product that they can use for free at their local branch. Looking to the future, if Ancestry.com's fair price doesn't skyrocket and there is still demand on the patron end, it is a good bet that it will continue to be popular and only get better over time. So, the next time you have no clue how to answer a genealogy question, sign up for the free trial and give Ancestry.com a shot. It might be just what that patron needs.

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Barb Kundanis is Reference Librarian, Longmont Public Library, CO