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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

FamilySearch Library Catalog now integrated with other FamilySearch Centers and Libraries

The FamilySearch Library catalog, on FamilySearch.org, is now almost completely integrated with local FamilySearch Libraries' and Centers' catalogs. The effect of this is that you no longer have to search the individual website catalogs for the various listed Libraries, you can search all of the catalogs at once through the FamilySearch.org website. For example, since the Mesa FamilySearch Library, in Mesa, Arizona, is now listed as one of the participating libraries on FamilySearch.org, you can search all of the 100,448 items in the Mesa FamilySearch including books, microfilm and microfiche.

Here is a screen shot showing the FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Catalog with a box and arrow showing the pull-down menu for all of the participating FamilySearch Centers:

Right now, it appears that there are about 32 centers included in the list. You would have to check to see if any of these are located nearby to your own location.

If you make a search in the Catalog and find an item or film that has yet to be digitized, it is a very good idea to check to see if the item is available in a nearby FamilySearch Center. For example, if I were searching for a book in the Catalog called Hartwells of America, I would do a Catalog search on the title to the book and when I found the item, I would also find a link to a Location. The pull-down list will show any Centers that have a copy of the book. Here is a screenshot for the Catalog entry of "The Hartwells of America : a genealogy of all the Hartwell families of the United States and Canada."


This is a long entry, so I would have to scroll down to find the Location link. Here is a copy of that portion of the page:


You can do the same for any item in the Catalog. I am sure that additional Centers will continue to be added to the list.

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