Harford County Public Library offers numerous resources to those interested in researching family history
While October is National Family History Month, Harford County Public Library offers a myriad of resources year round to those researching their genealogy. All the resources are available by visiting a library or logging onto hcplonline.org, except where noted.
Two new resources include Fold3 distributed by ProQuest. Fold3 Library Edition by Ancestry provides access to a growing collection of U.S. military records, including stories, photos and personal documents of men and women who served in the armed forces. Fold 3 Library Edition contains millions of records from world-class archives, many of which are exclusively available on Fold 3.
Another new resource is Newspapers.com Library Edition. It is an extensive online database of more than 4,000 newspapers from the early 1700s into the 2000s. Distributed by ProQuest, it contains a diverse blend of well-known regional and local newspapers in the United States and abroad.
Other genealogy research resources offered by Harford County Public Library include Ancestry Library Edition, Heritage Quest Online, ProQuest Historical U.S. Newspapers and Gale Genealogy Connect.
Harford County Public Library is also an affiliate library for FamilySearch, a program with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that houses a catalog of 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical resources worldwide. This enhanced digital content is available only by using public computers at the Bel Air Library.
For more information about additional genealogy resources, including online research databases, visit the library website hcplonline.org/genealogy.php.
Harford County Public Library offers ongoing genealogy discussion groups. The Havre de Grace Library group meets the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. At the Joppa Library, the genealogy discussion group gathers on the third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. A group at the Whiteford Library meets on the first Thursday of the month at 6 p.m.
Several genealogy programs are being offered in October. They include a program on beginning genealogy research October 9 from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. at the Fallston Library; Baltimore genealogy group meeting at the Jarrettsville Library October 18 and November 15 from 6 to 8 p.m.; and a “genealogy lock-in” October 19 at the Whiteford Library from 5:30 to 11 p.m. and at the Joppa Library on October 26 from 5 to 10 p.m. For a full listing of events, visit the library website hcplonline.org.
Additionally, the Maryland Room at the Bel Air Library houses an array of genealogy and local research materials in addition to Harford County’s Living Treasures Oral History Collection.
“The resources Harford County Public Library provides its customers who are researching their genealogy are outstanding,” said Mary Hastler, CEO. “Our customers can access databases wherever it’s convenient for them, whether it be in the library, at home or another location. We offer monthly discussion groups and other activities for those researching their family tree. Genealogy is a popular topic among the library’s customers.”
Harford County Public Library operates 11 branches located throughout Harford County. The library serves more than 194,000 registered borrowers of all ages and has an annual circulation of more than 4.7 million. Harford County Public Library is the recipient of a 2018 Graphic Design USA American Inhouse Design Award. For more information, visit hcplonline.org.
