All images from the Vectezy Library Vectors

There’s More to the Story. . .

is the theme of National Library Week, April 23-29

Genealogists care deeply about the health and well-being of libraries. We care not only about the public library down the street or across town, but also specialty libraries such as Heritage Quest Library in Sumner, or the Fiske Genealogy Library in Seattle. We care about the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, the largest collection of books, images and digitized genealogical resources in the world and we care about the small collections such as the books held by the South King County Genealogical Society at the FamilySearch Center in Kent and those at the Kent Historical Society.

Why do we care about libraries?

As genealogists, it is our responsibility to preserve the history of our families. Those stories are more than just, “Justice Jerome was born in Jamestown in 1666, married Jerusha James in July 1690, and died in 1706.” Who cares? 

Would our family and descendants rather hear that Justice Jerome was a shoemaker in Jamestown but when a plague blamed on leather shoes erupted in Jamestown, he and his new bride Jerusha migrated across Virginia in search of a piece of land they could squat on, and raise a patch of corn and potatoes to supplement the game that was abundant in the wild. They lived peacefully with the native inhabitants for a few years, but when a new band of native Americans who had been forced from their lands in the South came foraging for food and game in their neighborhood, Justice defended his little homestead and was unfortunately scalped by the invaders who carried Jerusha off as their prize. 

How did our scribe know this? Church records of births and marriages have been kept since colonial times in America , and elsewhere. Where are they kept? In libraries. Records of plagues and epidemics have been kept for thousands of years. Where are they? In libraries. 

When the hostile marauders approached, Jerusha hid her young children in a hollow log near the potato patch. They were found by a trapper, who took them to his home and raised them. Many years later, one of them told her story to a historian writing about early Virginia. That story was published and stored where? In a library.

Libraries provide access to information and education

Public libraries are open to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status or education. Today, most libraries offer the use of computers, internet access, the use of printers, photocopiers, scanners, and fax machines.

Many libraries offer a dizzying array of databases. Can’t afford to pay for access to Ancestry.com from your home computer? No problem, just call your local public library, reserve a computer, and log onto Ancestry.com. Are you searching for information about your family in the 1800s? Try Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers available at the King County Library System.

Are you searching for information about English ancestors? Do you believe your fourth-great-grandfather was an early settler in Massachusetts? Your nearby FamilySearch Center may have free access to FindMyPast or AmericanAncestors.org.

What can you do?

Teach your children and grandchildren to use and appreciate the library.

Vote! Frequently libraries ask local voters for funds to operate. Make your voice heard.

Volunteer: The Seattle Public Library and the King County Library have volunteer opportunities listed on their websites. Historical societies large and small have countless needs for volunteer help.

Act! If you are concerned about restrictions on access to a variety of views, the American Library Association web page, ala.org, has suggestions for action.

Use It Or Lose It!

I am thankful that I live in King County, Washington. The King County Library System is one of the busiest in the country. They are committed to “providing free access to, and promoting communication of ideas and information.” [1]

KCLS has partnered with SKCGS to house our genealogy book collection at the Auburn Branch, accessible to family researchers who live in south King County. They have partnered with the Eastside Genealogical Society to provide housing for a genealogy book collection, make meeting space available, and help underwrite the cost of genealogy speakers. They have provided space and publicity for Genealogy Help Desks at Covington, Auburn, Bellevue, and Burien. The Inter-Library Loan staff has helped to obtain hard-to-locate genealogical resources from around the nation.

Library staff and management closely monitor the usage of all materials, analog and digital, to guide their allocation of limited resources. Materials that are not used are removed to make room for those that might be of greater interest. If you value the information available to you, use it or lose it.

Happy Researching!

Barbara Mattoon            

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the South King County Genealogical Society. ©2023

1 “Selection Philosophy”, King County Library System Board of Trustees, (www.kcls.org/selection-philosophy/; accessed 19 Apr 2023), 2008.