I have noted several public libraries in Southern California have subscriptions to the online census images. Heritage Quest is one such subscription service, and Ancestry.com is another. A few LDS centers have the Ancestry.com subscription. Genealogy.com also has some wonderful images of censuses, but I don't know whether libraries subscribe. Get on as many online public library websites in your area as possible and see what may be available in your area. With the drastic budgetary cutbacks many cities and counties in California are going to have to undergo in the next few years (the Terminator is going to terminate a lot of jobs, funds to counties, cities, etc, he says) we may not long have access to some of the amenities of our public libraries. I hope your States fare better, although all are undergoing some tough times!!! E.W.Wallace

HI, This is Judy in Texas..My husband has a SHELBY connection back in 1797 in Wilkinson Co...Thanks for posting this. Thanks to the Texas State Archives in Austin, our Texas libraries have free access to what is called TEXSHARE database-This is strickly for use in Texas and you have to be a card holder of your local Texas library. Thru this we have access to Heritage Quest-They almost have to take this off their website...but there was such an outcry from genealogists, they decided to keep it. Cut backs to the libraries is a big ouch for everyone! We have a very active genealogy library [now have our very own building next to the library-run soley with volunteers from our genealogy socity-we work hand in hand with our public library [Kerrville, TX] We take a tremendous work load out of the hands of the library staff-they can't do what we have the time to do... So get involved with you genealogy society and see how you can help-We must be doing something right in our little town-the public library is now fully staffed again after nearly 2 years, and have now been able to re-instate their original opening hours of 7 days a week. Judy At 06:41 PM 11/19/03 -0500, you wrote: >I have noted several public libraries in Southern California have >subscriptions to the online census images. Heritage Quest is one such >subscription >service, and Ancestry.com is another. A few LDS centers have the >Ancestry.com >subscription. Genealogy.com also has some wonderful images of censuses, >but I >don't know whether libraries subscribe. > >Get on as many online public library websites in your area as possible and >see what may be available in your area. > >With the drastic budgetary cutbacks many cities and counties in California >are going to have to undergo in the next few years (the Terminator is >going to >terminate a lot of jobs, funds to counties, cities, etc, he says) we may not >long have access to some of the amenities of our public libraries. I hope >your >States fare better, although all are undergoing some tough times!!! > >E.W.Wallace