Genealogy Database Heritage Quest Discontinued as Countywide Library Service

Heritage Quest, a popular genealogy database, will be discontinued as a countywide resource February 1, 2012. This is one of several resources that have recently been discontinued. After 33 years of funding, the Jefferson County Library Cooperative (JCLC) was recently eliminated from the Jefferson County budget.

Local library buildings, staff, and operations are funded at the local level. But JCLC, a non-profit organization, provides all 40 Jefferson County city public libraries with essential services such as Internet access, book and DVD delivery between libraries, eBooks, one centralized catalog and one centralized library card. In the past JCLC provided free countywide access to databases such as Heritage Quest for genealogy and the BirminghamNews Online.

Here’s what you can do to help keep our “One county – One library card” cooperative system alive, and to continue JCLC’s core services:

Make a monetary gift online February 2 for Alabama Gives Day at www.alabamagivesday.org or www.jclc.org, mail your check, or donate at your local library. All donations are tax deductible.

For more information contact the Jefferson County Library Cooperative, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203.

The Jefferson County Library Cooperative (JCLC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization composed of the 40 public libraries throughout Jefferson County. These include the 22 municipal libraries, which includes the 19 locations of the Birmingham Public Library System, as well as The Library at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The mission of JCLC is to link our member libraries to provide better, more efficient centralized services for all county residents. Visit our website @ www.jclc.org.