Library photo  www.lansing.lib.il.us Lansing Public Library 2750 Indiana Avenue
Lansing, IL 60438
(708) 474-2447

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Research Your Family Tree With Our Genealogy Resources!

Ask Away Illinois Live help 24/7/365

Participating Member of Metropolitan Library System
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Family Tree Maker  
Family Tree Maker 2009


Now available in the library on all the public computers.
In library use only.
Bring a disk to save your family tree.

Visit our Genealogy Websites page for more useful resources!

Ancestry Library

Ancestry Library Edition Ancestry Library Edition *In Library Use Only

What is it? ProQuest has partnered with MyFamily.com to create Ancestry® Library Edition, one of the most important genealogical collections available today. It has unparalleled coverage of the United States and the United Kingdom, including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada and other areas. This collection, with thousands of databases and billions of names, is essential to having a broad genealogy collection, and its valuable content is a strong complement to HeritageQuest™ Online.
The Ancestry Library Edition collection has approximately 4,000 databases including key collections such as U.S. Federal Census images and indexes from 1790 to 1930; the Map Center containing more than 1,000 historical maps; American Genealogical Biographical Index (over 200 volumes); Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage (over 150 volumes); The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1630; Social Security Death Index (updated monthly); WWI Draft Registration Cards; Federal Slave Narratives; and a strong Civil War collection. Ancestry Library Edition updates continually, with more indexes and original images added all the time.
What years are covered?
1300 to the present; U.S. federal census information through 1930.
When will the 1940 U.S. Census files be available? The years of the United States Federal Censuses that have been made available include 1790-1930; a 72-year period must expire since the year a census is taken in order for a new census year to be released. Thus, the 1940 census will not be made publicly available until the year 2012. This is in accordance with laws and policies that protect the privacy and rights of living persons who may appear in the censuses released.
Where can I use this? Accessible from public computers in Lansing Public Library.
Help Section or User Guides: Sample searches, and product tours.
Cost: Free!
Why can't I access this from home? Ancestry licenses this product specifically for use in libraries.
If you are interested in access from home, they offer a subscription based product for individuals.
Visit Ancestry.com for details and pricing.

Connect to Ancestry Library


HeritageQuest

Heritage Quest HeritageQuest Connect from home, barcode required. HeritageQuest Connect @ the library.

What is it? HeritageQuest Online™ combines digital, searchable images of U.S. federal census records with the digitized version of the popular UMI® Genealogy & Local History collection and other valuable content. This online database is an essential collection of unique material for both genealogical and historical researchers, with coverage dating back to the late 1700s. Researchers can use HeritageQuest Online to find their ancestors, trace their paths across America, and learn what life was like in the areas where they settled. HeritageQuest Online includes all of the images, and extensive indexing, from the 1790 - 1930 U.S. federal censuses. It offers more than 20,000 book titles, including nearly 8,000 family histories and over 12,000 local histories. Additionally, there are more than 250 primary-source documents such as tax lists, city directories, probate records, and more.
What years are covered? 1700 to the present; U.S. federal census information through 1930.
When will the 1940 U.S. Census files be available? The years of the United States Federal Censuses that have been made available include 1790-1930; a 72-year period must expire since the year a census is taken in order for a new census year to be released. Thus, the 1940 census will not be made publicly available until the year 2012. This is in accordance with laws and policies that protect the privacy and rights of living persons who may appear in the censuses released.
Where can I use this? You can use this from home or inside the library, just choose the appropriate link.
Help Section or User Guides: Sample searches, and product tours.
Cost: Free!
Note: users must have a valid Lansing Library Card in our database to use this resource from home. Our contract with HeritageQuest does not allow us to grant access to users from other towns.

Connect to HeritageQuest from home, or wifi connection. (*Lansing Public Library barcode required)

Connect to HeritageQuest from a Lansing Public Library computer.


OCLC WorldCat

Find it in WorldCat OCLC WorldCat *Lansing Library Card Required

WorldCat focus on genealogy: Learn more and get a tutorial Use WorldCat to do genealogy research!
Use their genealogy research tutorial, get answers to common questions.


What is it? OCLC WorldCat searches books, journals and magazines, internet resources, maps, musical scores, sound recordings, videos and more.
How many libraries?
over 9,000 worldwide
Help Section or User Guides:
Using OCLC FirstSearch PDF icon Usando OCLC FirstSearch (en Espanol) PDF icon
Get Adobe Reader (Requires Adobe Reader. Free download!)
To Request Items:
You can place your own requests in WorldCat! When you find an item you would like to request, click the "request item" button. A request form will prompt you for your patron information. 
You will be contacted by phone when the item has arrived. Requested items can only be checked out by the requesting borrower.
Cost: We make every effort to find the lowest cost source for materials. We do not charge as long as we can borrow the item within the state of Illinois for free. Some colleges charge for loans. You will be contacted if your item will incur a fee. If we have to borrow an item from a library outside of Illinois, you will be charged $5.00. This fee applies even if you do not pick-up the requested item.
Note: users must have a valid Lansing Library Card in our database to use this resource. Our contract with OCLC does not allow us to grant access to users from other towns.
Special messages from OCLC about system outages.

Connect to the OCLC WorldCat Login page



NewsBank

NewsBank NewsBank  *Lansing Library Card Required

What is it? Newsbank features complete full-text content of local and regional news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people in the community. Paid advertisements are excluded.

Our subscription includes:

  • America's News Magazines
  • Chicago Tribune (IL) (1/1/1985-Current)
  • Chicago Tribune RedEye Edition (IL) (10/25/2002-Current)
  • Chicago Tribune Historical Archive (IL)
    • Obituaries and Death Notices (2.5 million) - very unique data covering 1860-1984, including front-page obituaries for notables from Chicago and worldwide.
    • Chicago Tribune Morgue clippings file (nearly 3 million) - major stories covering events and issues clipped and indexed by the Chicago Tribune staff at time of publication. Coverage is from the 1920's through 1984.
    • Front pages (16,614 pages containing over 155,000 articles) - image of entire front page as it appeared when published from the early 1900 through 1984.

Help Section or User Guides: Using NewsBank
Cost: Free!
Note: users must have a valid Lansing Library Card in our database to use this resource. Our contract with NewsBank does not allow us to grant access to users from other towns.

Connect to the NewsBank Login page



ArchiveGrid

archive grid ArchiveGrid

What is it? ArchiveGrid is a database that offers students, faculty, librarians, and genealogists unparalleled access to archive records and finding aids, enabling the most comprehensive research possible. Search through nearly a million collection descriptions and get the information you need to arrange a visit or order copies. Discover hidden collections or confirm the scope of collections you already know. Save research time by locating the exact box and shelf information so that your time on-site will be spent studying relevant materials, not looking for them.
Help Section or User Guides:
Topic summary; Help guide
Cost: Free!

Connect to ArchiveGrid



Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection

illinosi digital newspaper collection Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection

What is it? Historic newspapers provide us with a window on our past, and now digital technology has revolutionized access to this rich source material. The Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection (IDNC) contains digital facsimiles of historic Illinois newspapers. You can browse the newspapers by date or search by keyword across articles, advertisements and photo captions. You can print, download, or e-mail individual articles. And it's free! More about the IDNC. Titles Available: Daily Illini 1916-1945 ; Urbana Daily Courier 1903-1935 ; Express (Tallula, Illinois) 1895-1896 (Scattered issues)
Help Section or User Guides:
Help
Cost: Free!

Connect to the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection



Illinois Newspaper Project

illinois newspaper project Illinois Newspaper Project

What is it? Illinois Newspaper Project (INP) is part of the U.S. Newspaper Program (USNP), a cooperative effort between the states and the federal government designed to identify, catalog and preserve on microfilm the nation's historic newspaper heritage. The USNP is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and administered by the Library of Congress. The INP team travels throughout Illinois inventorying and cataloging collections held by libraries and repositories, private organizations, and individuals. Newspapers that have not already been preserved on microfilm are filmed to create a permanent record of this vanishing material. The goal of the project is to facilitate access to Illinois newspapers. We host a web-based searchable database of all newspapers discovered and preserved through the project. All microfilm produced for INP is made available to Illinois citizens through interlibrary loan.
Cost: Free!

Connect to the Illinois Newspaper Project Database