Archival collections at public libraries present their own challenges distinct from other library materials, but they also offer the promise of unique connections between the library and its users, particularly when the archives relate to local history.

Speaking from their own experiences, while also sharing examples and ideas from other libraries around the country, the authors present a start-to-finish guidebook for creating a local history reference collection that your community will embrace and use regularly.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City is the world's largest archive of genealogy and family history materials. No other repository compares in the quantity and quality of its records. It is only fitting, then, that such an extraordinary facility warrants this exceptional guide. Intended for beginning and intermediate genealogists, this books enables readers to use the library's resources effectively, whether in Salt Lake City or from their home. They'll find: - Tips for trip preparation--advice for making the most of their time at the Family History Library - Guidelines for accessing the library collection from afar, including FamilySearch Internet and in 3,400 Family History Centers worldwide - the basics of family history research - Details on Family History Library records, including major U.S. and world collections - Onsite research tips to help readers locate resources, organize their workdays and materials, and make the most of limited research time Each topic is discussed in a fully, making this unique book an invaluable companion for genealogists and family historians everywhere. Paula Stuart Warren and James W. Warren are both professional genealogical and historical researchers. They research and lecture throughout the U.S. for much of the year. During that time, they spend many weeks in Salt Lake City teaching and doing client research at the Family History Library, where they led group research trips for seven years. They operate Warren Research and Publishing in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Oxford Companion to Family and Local History is the most authoritative guide available to all things associated with the family and local history of the British Isles. It provides practical and contextual information for anyone enquiring into their English, Irish, Scottish, or Welsh origins and for anyone working in genealogical research, or the social history of the British Isles. This fully revised and updated edition contains over 2,000 entries from adoption to World War records. Recommended web links for many entries are accessed and updated via the Family and Local History companion website. This edition provides guidance on how to research your family tree using the internet and details the full range of online resources available. Newly structured for ease of use, thematic articles are followed by the A-Z dictionary and detailed appendices, which includefurther reading. New articles for this edition are: A Guide for Beginners, Links between British and American Families, Black and Asian Family History, and an extended feature on Names. With handy research tips, a full background to the social history of communities and individuals, and an updated appendix listing all national and local record offices with their contact details, this is an essential reference work for anyone wanting advice on how to approach genealogical research, as well as a fascinating read for anyone interested in the past.

This book contains the papers delivered at sessions organised by the Genealogy and Local History Section at the annual conferences of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) between 2001 and 2005; many of these are updated versions of the original presentations. A wide range of significant issues and trends in historical and family research is covered. The authors, all experts in their own fields, address those engaged in delivering genealogy and local history services in libraries, archives and museums across the world. Moreover, they focus on the growing army of enthusiasts directly engaged in tracing their own ancestral and local history. Several papers give useful hints on how various resources can be used to further personal research. These include the exciting opportunities offered by the digitisation of primary resources and by the impact of the powerful new technology, among other things now on offer through DNA profiling.