Gale S.: Since I volunteer a portion of my family history research time to my local Family History Center, I have some thoughts that may prove helpful when you make your next visit. 1) FHCs, like our marvelous Clayton Library, experience different levels of patron use. Ask when they have fewer patrons using the facilities. For instance, I don't go to Clayton on Saturday mornings. 2) Each Family History Center reflects the resources and expertise of its patrons and volunteers. Some are large facilities and others are small. Each is staffed with people who have various levels of expertise. Unlike a public resource such as the Clayton Library, these are people who are there to help others; no one, including the director, is paid (except with blessings that come from serving others). Consequently, depending on when you come, you may have a green librarian or someone with years and years of experience. That simply the nature of an FHC. There are 3,200 of them. 3) A FHC is primarily a branch the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It is a gateway to the largest genealogical collection in the world. The FHL collection grows constantly as dozens of microfilm teams cover the globe concurrently. That process has been going on since 1938. In exchange for the right to microfilm a record, the host public entity, church, or record repository is given a copy of the microfilm or fiche and the comfort of knowing that a replacement is always available from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Knowing the tempermental and temporary nature of records, the Church has built a giant vault carved into the solid granite mountains east of the city. It is probably the most secure of any respository anywhere. 4) Your only cost at a FHC is to pay postage on microfilms and microfiche that you borrow from the parent repository to research primary documents and for copies you make. The rooms, readers, computers, lights, AC, etc. are all paid for by tithing funds from church members. Of course, you are always welcome to contribute your own research findings which can then be shared at FHCs around the world. 4) Since a FHC reflects the patrons who use it, different permanent resources will be found at each center, in addition to a basic collection supplied by the LDS Church for each new center. Some of those collections are quite extensive, but are always limited by space, just as we've found at Clayton with its constant need to expand resources and services. 5) Some 90,000 researchers visit the newest resource from the Church's Family History Department on the Internet each day. The address is www.familysearch.org. This website is connecting more and more resources to Family History Centers and provides open and free access to many of the Salt Lake records and tools. Familysearch is a nice way to begin a search and a Family History Center is a nice way to confirm what you find by checking original records. These resources are two of many that are making our work as genealogists more effective, less time-consuming, and even more pleasant. This is a great time to be a genealogist. Best wishes in your efforts, Corey W. Grua Houston Jim Turner wrote: > "Gale S." wrote: > > > > TX-GALVES listers, > > > > I have been searching the web, talking and talking and talking to relatives, > > and have gotten a pretty nice chart of my ancestors, a few brick walls as > > many have I am sure. > > > > I know my next step is to go to a FHL. Well, I went and they were very nice > > but very busy there. They suggested that I need to document everything I > > had first through a genealogy library, then come back. > > > > For the terrified of new things kind of person of which I am, could you give > > me some advice on when I go to a library like this what do I do first? And > > then what do I do second. I would never have more than an hour per week to > > devote to this and I am afraid that I will do nothing but waste my time > > because I will be totally lost. If I could just walk right in and go to > > work, it would really boost my confidence. Anybody have a favorite game > > plan for this? > > > > Thanks for any advise. > > > > Gale > > Gale, > > Since you don't have much time to spend at each visit, you may want to > use the first visit just to get acquainted with the library. They have > printed handouts showing the floor plan and where everything is. Go > upstairs and look over the cabinets where the census and other records > on microfilm are kept. Ask questions of the staff and volunteers who > are always available to help. Pick up one of their helpful worksheets on > the census Soundex system. > > Then go back home and get organized. With just an hour to spend on a > visit, you can't do too much. Select a particular ancestor or family to > research. The census is always a good place to start. Write down the > census records you will need to look at(state, county, town, census > year). > > Another thing you can do ahead of time is look at the Library's card > catalog online. Pick out references that look promising and make note of > the exact title, author and call number. The URL for the catalog is: > > http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/hpl/catalog.html > > or access it through the link on the USGenWeb Galveston County Genealogy > Web Page at: > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~txgalves/index.htm > > By the time you do all this, you will have a pretty good feeling for > what you can find and do at Clayton. > > Good luck! > > Jim Turner