Research and Reference Resources

Quick Guide To AncestryLibrary Online

Search for your ancestors!

Find out more about your family tree by searching AncestryPlus. THIS DATABASE IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE LIBRARIES.

• What is AncestryLibrary?
• How do I access AncestryLibrary?
• What can I use AncestryLibrary for?
• How do I save or print records?

What is AncestryLibrary?

AncestryLibrary is a subscription database that contains geneology information. More than 4,000 databases include census data, passenger lists, and birth, marriage and death records. Search by name, by where a person lived or browse by region or states. The Map Center contains maps from across the United States. Data is compiled from the Social Security Death Index, U.S. Federal Census, UK Census Collection, immigration and military records, court, land and probate records and more.

AncestryLibrary is an Internet-based reference service distributed by the ProQuest Company. ProQuest online information service provides access to thousands of current periodicals and newspapers and a vast microfilm collection of archival materials.

How do I access AncestryLibrary?

AncestryLibrary may only be used at the library. It is not available to use on home or business computers. Anyone with a LINK library card and access to an Internet station at a library in the South Central Library System can use AncestryLibrary. Access the database here or follow the link to the Online Databases page in LINKcat.

Next, enter your full library card number without the spaces. (check on this)

AncestryLibrary’s main page will come up.

What can I use AncestryLibrary for?

There are over 4000 databases included in AncestryLibrary that can be used to find census data, immigration records, birth, marriage and death records and more. Over 2 billion names are available to search in AncestryLibrary. There are downloadable charts and forms that can be used to record searches and the names of your ancestors.

 

See some sample questions and how to find the answers:

• Example 1: I need the date of death for someone in my family. How can I find that information?
• Example 2: I would like to know if any of my ancestors fought in the Civil War.
• Example 3: I am looking for information about my great-grandfather, but I am not sure how to spell his name.
• Example 4: How can I find out the name of the ship that transported my relatives from Belgium to America?

How do I save or print records?

AncestryLibrary may only be used in the libraries. In order to view charts and forms, adobe acrobat reader must be available. This program is available on most library internet terminals. (Check on this). You can print or download up to ten records total per session…( test the limit for this)

The steps for printing AncestryLibrary images will differ depending upon the viewer you are using. Most of the images on the Ancestry Library website use a Basic or Enhanced Image Viewer. This includes all of the Census Images Online on the site. A few of the early Images Online (such as the Civil War Pension Index) use the MrSID plug-in viewer or the default HTML viewer.

Regardless of the image viewer you are using, you may want to consider printing the image in Landscape rather than Portrait mode. Your printer settings should have an option to switch between these two print modes during printing. If an image is wider than it is tall, for example the 1930 Census Images, you will want to print in Landscape mode. If an image is taller than it is wide, for example the 1850 Census Images, you will want to print in Portrait mode.”

 

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