Genealogy Series Teaches Skills to Dig Deeper for Family History

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) has vast resources to help cultivate the family tree. The library’s Tutwiler Collection of Southern History and Literature at the Central Library has been recognized by Family Tree Magazine as one of the top ten public libraries for digging into your family roots. There are several BPL programs designed to teach people how to begin their do-it-yourself journey of researching family history, including “Beyond the Basics Genealogy Workshops” for folks who have experience with genealogical research and familiarity with use of the computer and Internet. This four-part series of Saturday morning workshops are an excellent value at $5.00 for each class. Advance registration is required.

Ben Petersen, Department Head for Southern History, acknowledges that popular television shows have generated great interest in genealogy, motivating more people to document the family tree. “People think it is easy, and as simple as doing a key name search on an online database,” says Petersen. ‘Beyond the Basics’ gives patrons the tools to successfully navigate the bounty of information available online,” he continued.

The workshops are at 10:00 a.m. in the Southern History Department located in Linn-Henley Research Library downtown. The dates and topics are:

• 4/21/2012 - 40 is the New 30: Using the 1940 Census
• 6/2/2012 - Bring Out Your Dead: Cemeteries in Genealogical Research
• 8/4/2012 - Getting the Good Dirt: Land Records in Genealogical Research
• 9/15/2012 - It's a Big Web Out There: Sites & Strategies for Internet Genealogy