Libraries and More The genealogy article this time around continues our series in the basic steps toward learning your family history. We have explored the depth of interest in Ireland Ancestors, described the simple formating approaches to organizing your knowledge, and impressed the importance of learning all the details you can gather from all your known relatives about your common history trail. Feargal O'Donnell, from Genealogy Ireland Ltd (genealogyireland.ie), notes a good place to begin is "always bricks and mortar in your own locality." The library is an excellent place to reflect upon your progress, bask in the literature and history of Ireland, and contemplate the next phase of your family history goals -- where the research work phase planning can begin into exploring the unknown aspects of all the clues you have been collecting. The beautiful spacious library on the second floor of the IAHC has an excellent and well stocked separate Genealogy section. The volunteers and staff of the library are friendly and experts in their field. There is also a large section devoted to Irish Gaelic language books and periodicals, where classes are also taught. While it still may be too early for you to pin-point your exact origin locations in Ireland, it is an ideal time to browse different types of self-help resources that will get you familiar with typical approaches to pursuing your goals. The library collection has been recognized by instructors at Notre Dame University, and from government leaders in Ireland, as a unique wealth of materials. Many topical sources specific to Ireland can be found which are not readable online, and which are considered standards in the field of Irish genealogy. These books will give you a glimpse at the potentials of finding information about your history trail, moreover, inspiring and motivating through ideas they will bring to mind. In addition to Ireland specific local histories materials on cities, counties, and places, all three editions of James Ryan's keystone book on researching in Ireland are on the open shelves at the library. The Catholic parish directory, and the Townland Index volumes are also available, as well as some detailed ordinance maps covering certain areas. And if you have yet to reach your ancestor's bridge of immigration by reverse chronologically, there are also the time tested books on American research resources, including the detailed Red Book, and Everton's Handy Book. Many sources focusing on Chicago in particular are on hand. Rare compilations are also in the archives to some particular communities and churches. Experts in Chicago and Irish genealogy strategies are additionally on hand every last Sunday of the month at the library from 1 to 3 PM for personal consultation, advise, and discussions. Others working on their family history will also be there to bounce your ideas off of and gain perspective. Willie O’Kane from Irish World Research Department based in county Tyrone (irish-world.com) suggests that, "It is always advisable to discuss your needs with a researcher who knows the most likely routes." The Newberry Library Chicago is a fine companion with an extensive catalog of Midwest, U.S., and Ireland history materials. They also have the paper-copy book-form versions of the Tithe or Valuation lists, and a county set of accompanying grid maps. There have also been found in their holdings a published collection of church records indexes, and in the case of at least one parish in Dublin, one that has NOT been added to the online city-wide computer indexing. The University of Chicago also has a hidden treasure trove of U.S. plat maps in dire need of preservation storage, binding, and repair. The Chicago Public Library, in addition to its local materials, has free access to the online records of Ancestry.com, one of the largest digitization conservators for genealogy documents. Their efforts, and other internet searching tools, will require a separate article which we will present forthcoming. But probably the best reason for an early visit to a physical "brick and mortar" library, with it's full color variety of hands-on books, magazines, and journals, is the lost art of browsing. With the hand to eye ability to quickly flip through a diverse range of texts, maps, photographs, and indexes, with similar and parallel items immediately adjacent, will give you within a table or two a powerful feeling of empowerment, awareness, and imagination. All three interests will be vital to assisting your maneuvers through the often bare data world of history that you will elsewhere soon require. In fact, by spending some time on perhaps general histories of Ireland, biographies, annals, local flavor, or simply a great coffee-table photo book, you will soon be in a perfect mindset for considering the strategic logistics of an actual methodical search, which can become quite tedious. Through refreshing your overall enthusiasm for your heritage, you will also be better in tune with the particular cultures and history producing social events which you will also need to consider, in thinking about what documentation these may have created about your particular family peoples. You will gain a stronger sense of the eras that your ancestors lived through, and the conditions and circumstances that encompassed them. In the case of those from Ireland, that should leave plenty of interesting and thought provoking aspects of history to read about. Whereby meeting such specialists and authors at book clubs, Irish Festivals like IBAM (Irish Books Arts and Music), or via theirishbookclub.com may be just as useful to family history enjoyment and focus as the dry record-clerk entries of hand written name lists. =welcome>about>help>back(to"help")>NEXT: here

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