Library Offers Genealogy 101

The Shellbrook Public Library is offering two evening genealogy sessions at 7 pm on Wednesday May 20 and Wednesday June 16.

"The typical advice to beginners is start with you," explains Librarian Alanna Carswell, "but that is just the where. At the first session, we will focus on how you start with yourself on paper with standard genealogy forms and then show how you would enter that data into a genealogy program. The second session will focus on going beyond you in two popular genealogy databases, Family Search and Ancestry. My mom, Nancy Carswell, who is a member of the Prince Albert Branch of the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society will be presenting."

Wednesday afternoons the Library has a family history focus where people are encouraged to come in and take advantage of the in-library only subscription to Ancestry.com. Carswell says, "Of course, Ancestry is available every day at the library but I'm finding people appreciate having a special day. Because I do family history myself, I have had success in helping others understand how to use the online databases."