Friday, September 5, 2008

Off to Carlsbad Library on Saturday

We have a Chula Vista Genealogical Society research trip to Carlsbad (CA) Georgina Cole Library on Saturday. At least ten CVGS members, and perhaps more, are going. Some of us are car-pooling from the parking structure in downtown Chula Vista, leaving at 8:45 a.m. This is a once-a-year event for us, since it's 45 miles each way. We really should go more often!

Why should we go more often? Because Carlsbad has the biggest collection of genealogy surname and locality books, genealogy periodicals, and the UMI microform collection of books and records, in San Diego County. In addition, they have in-library access to Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuestOnline, NewspaperARCHIVE, New England Ancestors (NEHGS), and Footnote. Library card holders can access HQO and NewspaperARCHIVE from home. Did I mention that Carlsbad has a genealogy collection takes the whole second floor? And that they have a significant yearly budget to buy genealogy books? The genealogy page for the Carlsbad library is here.

I prepared for the trip by doing two things:

* Updating my book and periodical "wish list." I found last years list and went through the NGSQ and NEHGR book reviews to see what new books are of interest to me, and added them to the list.

* Checking what new localities and surnames I've added to my ahnentafel in the past year. I added Oneida County NY, Rensselaer County NY, and Suffolk County NY to my locality list. I added Smith (yeah, right?), Bresee, Van Deusen, Scism and several others to my surname list.

I could have checked the online catalog for Carlsbad to see if any on my book "wish list" are available, but using their computer catalog is easy and quick. I always check for local and state society periodicals (in this case, NYGBR) for my "new" localities and surnames.

Carlsbad uses a cash card system to make copies - you load cash into a machine, which puts money on the card, and the copy machine debits the card. I'm going to take lots of quarters (gotta use them up...) for the cash machines.

I may be able to help some of my colleagues with their research tomorrow - often that's the most fun of all.

I will try to report on our successes in a post over the weekend. I love going to libraries!

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