Pat, The answer depends entirely on the individual library which owns the book. Many family histories and related publications are "out of print" and may not have had many copies printed in the first place. Most libraries will not loan older, rarer and often more fragile books in order to cut down on the wear and tear thus prolong the lives of the books. Some of the best genealogy collections must be used in person. Others will loan but maybe only to other libraries or onlly other libraries with whom they have some kind of reciprocal agreements. Others are more liberal. I am a librarian and I am sorry but there is no easy answer. Some genealogy societies loan to their members only and sometimes only for a fee. If you have specific questions, I will try to answer them. Dave