American Library Directory. 49th ed. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1996-1997. (FHL book 973 J54a 1996-1997; computer number 32239.) Alphabetical by state and town. Lists addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and describes each library's holdings and special interests.

Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. The Genealogist's Address Book. 3rd ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1995. (FHL book 973 D24ben 1995; computer number 583091.) Includes about 7,000 national, state, ethnic, religious, historical, adoption, computer interest group, and vendor addresses with telephone numbers, E-mail addresses, supervisors, and repository hours.

A directory of many repositories and manuscript collections is:

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States. 2nd ed. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1988. (FHL book 973 J54u 1988; computer number 487342; 1978 ed. on fiche 6010080-89; computer number 2897.)

State Archives and State Libraries

Each state has a state archive or a state library. Many states have both. These serve as the repositories for state and county government records. They often have some federal records as well, such as the U.S. census schedules for the state. Addresses are available in the state research outlines and at your public library.

County and Town Courthouses

Many of the key records essential for genealogical research were created by local county or town governments. These include court, land and property, naturalization and citizenship, probate, taxation, and vital records. The county and town courthouses are the primary repositories of these valuable records. (However, some courthouse records have been destroyed or transferred to state archives.) The Family History Library has copies of many of these important records on microfilm.

The individual counties have organized their records and offices in many different ways. The state research outlines provide further information on how to obtain these records.

Easy-to-use sources that list the various county offices in each state and the types of records at each office are:

Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. County Courthouse Book. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1990. (FHL book 973 D24bena; computer number 585127.)

The Handy Book for Genealogists, 8th ed. Logan, Utah: Everton Publishing, 1991. (FHL book 973 D27e; computer number 594019; 6th ed. on fiche 6010044-47; computer number 10557.) The Handy Book also lists the county seat and zip code.

Historical and Genealogical Societies

Historical and genealogical societies have been organized in each state, most counties, and some towns. These societies collect many valuable records and offer various helpful services to researchers. Addresses of local societies are listed in:

Smith, Betty P. Directory of Historical Societies and Agencies in the United States and Canada. 14th ed. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1990. (FHL book 970 H24d; computer number 55627.)

See the “Societies” section of this outline for further information.

Federal Repository Libraries

The federal government has designated at least one library in each state (generally a major university library) to receive a copy of published federal records. These include a wide variety of information, such as pension lists, private land claims, veterans' burial lists, and individuals' petitions to Congress.

Inventories, Registers, Catalogs

Most archives have catalogs, inventories, guides, or periodicals that describe their records and how to use them. If possible, study these guides before you visit an archive so that you can use your time more effectively. Many of these are available at the Family History Library, at your public or university library, or through interlibrary loan.

An example of a helpful guide is:

Schaefer, Christina K. The Center: Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Capital Area. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1996. (FHL book 975.3 A3sc; computer number 780721.) This describes the records and services of the National Archives, Library of Congress, Daughters of the American Revolution Library, and other repositories in the Washington, D.C. area.

Computer Networks and Bulletin Boards

Computers with modems are important tools for obtaining information from selected archives and libraries. In a way, computer networks themselves serve as a library. The Internet, certain computer bulletin boards, news groups, and commercial on-line services help family history researchers:

Locate other researchers interested in the same ancestors. Investigate the membership directories of genealogical groups to see who is researching your ancestors.

Post queries. Ask about a particular ancestor or how to do research in an area. Other researchers may reply with exactly the help you need.

Send and receive E-mail asking a specific individual or organization for information.

Search large databases for information about specific individuals. Some computer archives contain compiled genealogies. Others are transcripts of original records.

Search computer libraries for information about how to do research and genealogical book reviews.

Join in computer chat and lecture sessions for ideas, inspiration, and tips to help your research. Researching by computer can be very rewarding, but it also has its limitations. You will need access to a computer with a modem to use these files. An increasing number of public libraries provide network services for their visitors to use. Family History Centers do not usually have access to computer on-line services or networks. It takes time and practice to get acquainted with the various systems. However, local genealogical societies often have computer interest groups or members who are familiar with computer genealogical research. Sometimes there is a fee for accessing computer records. You often need to know where an ancestor lived to find further information about him. Information obtained by computer may contain inaccuracies and should be verified in original records where possible. Only a limited supply of records are available by computer. Other kinds of records must also be used to complete your research.

On-line services are provided by subscription. Commercial companies have designed subscription services to attract computer users to hundreds of areas of interest. Besides news and weather, you can also explore libraries and services specifically for genealogists. Look for membership directories, message boards, chat rooms, and libraries of research instruction and genealogies.

Networks allow your home computer to access information in the computer of someone else. Several noncommercial computer networks are available to help genealogists. For example, the Internet has many useful sites. Such sites come from libraries, archives, or individuals interested in sharing their records or findings. The sites include information about people and records from almost every historical time period and place.

News groups and bulletin board sections (BBS) on computer allow you to post messages, read replies, and reply to other researchers' messages. Both commercial on-line services and noncommercial networks offer this service.

The list of computer sources is growing rapidly. Most of the information is available at little or no cost. The following sites are important gateways linking you to many more network and bulletin board sites. Addresses for network sites are subject to frequent changes. To get started with computer network research contact:

• USGenWeb