Digital Libraries for Genealogy Research

By Mary Beth Newbill, Southern History Department, Central Library

If you haven’t ventured into the world of online books for your genealogy research, now is the perfect time. From family histories to city directories to school yearbooks, there is an abundance of material available to view, search, and download that can enhance your research. Thanks to the massive digitization efforts of several organizations, so many previously unavailable and quite rare titles can now be read from the comfort of home. While not everything is available online, we have unprecedented access to items (not just books, but maps, archival materials, and periodicals) that, just a few years ago, could only be viewed by visiting libraries and archives all over the world.

When thinking about digital libraries, the ones that first come to my mind are the Internet Archive, DPLA (Digital Public Library of America), and Hathitrust and those are the sites we’ll be discussing here. Next week, I’ll introduce some of the newer and smaller sites. Of course, Project Guttenberg was one of the earliest online libraries, but their focus is more on works of literature rather than history or genealogy. Whereas, the others have dedicated genealogy “collections” in addition to substantial numbers of state and local histories.

While there are some similarities across the board when it comes to searching digital libraries, each one has quirks that will become apparent as you spend more time using them. Each site allows you to enter a title or search by keyword. If you have a specific title you’re looking for, just enter it into the search box. This is the most direct and efficient way of locating it. If you’re not sure of the title, enter what you think it to be and let the site do the rest. Keyword searching can sometimes result in an overwhelming number of hits due to the fact that you can choose to search the full text or just the catalog record (sometimes referred to as the metadata). If you’re getting too many hits, adjust your search settings or make your search more specific.

Once you’ve located a title you’d like to read, just click on it and begin reading. Some sites will allow you to download it as a PDF or a kindle book or may even have a friendly robot read it to you as audio book. The Internet Archive lets you create a free account. This is a great way to keep track of your favorite items and to download books. Of course, the best tool, in my opinion, is the ability to search inside the book for the exact name or topic that you’re looking for. While some books that are still under copyright protection (generally anything published after 1925) have been digitized, you may not be able to view them.

It’s always a good idea to spend some time exploring the sites and learning about their goals and limitations. The “about” or “FAQ” sections are always a good place to start. The more you know about each site’s objectives and limitations, the better you’ll be at getting the most out of it with the least amount of frustration. Each site features a genealogy section and that’s another great way to get started.

Take advantage of all that these online libraries have to offer. Each one is a little different and there is actually some overlap, so don’t be surprised if you click on an item in the DPLA and it takes you a page on Hathitrust. Digital libraries are really coming in to their own and can be an important part of your genealogy research. Follow the links below to the sites discussed and have fun with them!

Internet Archive
Digital Public Library of America
HathiTrust