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Classification: Lookup
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/HQB.2ACE/621
Message Board Post:
NOW SEARCH OVER 600 BOOKS WHICH THE FAMILY HISTORY
LIBRARY HAS ONLINE.
In Sept., the LDS Family History Library announced that it has begun the process of
digitizing & making available on the Internet ALL of the Family History books in their
collection. At that time, about 5000 books were available, and they were adding about 100
titles a week. Books out of copyright are being done first.
The images of these Family History books are actually being stored on the electronic
servers at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. By going directly to the BYU website
to view the images, you are able to full-text searches on each book. You can now locate
the small entry on your elusive grandpa that is buried in one of the books that you would
otherwise never thought to look at before. This can open up a huge new possibility for
extending lines, getting past brick walls, and uncovering new relatives!
HOW TO FIND THE DIGITIZED IMAGES
Go to the website of the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU at:
http://www.lib.byu.edu/
On their home page follow the links
"Find Other Materials/
Then: "Electronic/
Then: "On Line Collections at BYU."
Click on the "Text Collections" tab & select the
"Family History Archive" from the list of collections that are displayed. You
would then normally want to use the "Search All" feature with the "Search
All Text" box checked, although the "Advanced Search" will allow very
high-powered searches that will allow certain phrases to be searched for & other words
to be used to exclude potential hits. As you make selections from the "hits"
that are dismayed, you will need to use the "Click Here To View Item" button
near the top of the screen to display the actual image of the page. You can page through
the entire document using the index displayed on the left side of the screen. Each page
may be printed after being viewed. One interesting sidelight is, when you are at the first
web page for the Family History Archive, click on the "Browse the Collection"
button. This will display every Family History book that has been digitized and is
available in the collection. You can scroll through this list much the same as if you were
walk!
ing up & down the stacks at the library. You will want to visit this site often as
the collection grows.
GOOD LUCK!