the genealogy library changed its name
Brenda kellow
september 15, 2013
I never could remember the name chosen by the Genealogy Library when it first opened. Furthermore, the collection of alphabet soup it used was also difficult to remember. Now the library will be known as the Genealogy Center instead of Genealogy, Local History, Texana, and Archives, or GLHTA. The official name for public identification is Genealogy Center of the Plano Public Library System.
Not only has the library changed its name from when it first opened, the genealogy collection is growing by leaps and bounds. If you haven’t been there in the past few months, you must gather together your research material and plan a day of searching at the library. I am so pleased with the items collected and the extent of their online research. I’ve always been proud of their census microfilm collection. Go take a look for yourself. It really is now a Genealogy Center!
There is even a blog now where subscribers get the latest news, library offered classes, new acquisitions, etc. To see the one dated September 2, go to http://glhtainplano.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/new-books-as-of-september-2-2013/ and check out the new items or sign up to receive the blog on your home computer.
In addition to the classes, the Genealogy Center offers a Lock-In during the year. They have one scheduled for October 18 from noon to 11 p.m. It is the second statewide Lock-In for Plano. If you want to volunteer to help or have a table to show off your group, please contact Cheryl Smith at [email protected]. This is held in conjunction with eight other libraries throughout Texas and it is considered a statewide event. Some other city libraries involved besides Plano are Amarillo, Austin, Denton, Houston, Round Rock and Waco.
There will be webinars held during the day on topics from beginning basic family history steps, using FamilySearch, government e-doc records online, using original landowner maps, the latest on Ancestry Library Edition, how to access Texas county records through regional depositories, unusual records you may not have heard about, and resources in the Texas General Land Office. The first webinar begins at 12:30 and continues 10:30.
Arrangements have been made so many items can be shared between the library various collections. TSLAC will share Texas Confederate Pension Applications, city directories and vital statistic indexes. Waco’s McLennan Library opens its area obituaries, cemetery records, etc. Clayton Library shares the PERSI periodicals and microfilm. Denton Library has city directories, yearbooks from high school and both colleges. The Plano Genealogy Center will share Collin County Records collection of deaths, births, probate, deeds, school census, Council Minutes, newspaper collections of Plano, McKinney and Dallas, Native American Books by Jeff Bowen and county cemetery inscriptions.
Registration will be in the lobby and they are not setting a limit on the number of participants. This year they will be using the first floor and the lower level all day and evening.
Last year was the first Lock-In held and admittedly, there were some rough spots, but this year should be much smoother. Let us make this a big happening for the Genealogy Center.
ANCESTRY.COM AND FAMILY SEARCH JOIN TO PUT RECORDS ONLINE: On September 5, the two companies announced they partnered to place one billion global historical records online for the first time. These two huge companies will work together to digitize, index and publish the records from the FamilySearch vault in Monument Mountain. This feat is in addition to their plan to publish over one million wills and probate images and indexes over the next three years covering the period 1800 through 1930.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].