Genealogy Research at Herrin City Library

The north wing of the Herrin City Library is now home to a museum. Browse our memorabilia, artifacts and displays related to the History of Herrin, Illinois.

Also, in the history area, you’ll find our growing collection of archival information about Herrin and Williamson County. The local history research shelves house books about history, genealogy research and Herrin High School yearbooks.

Need to do online research? The history area has a dedicated Genealogy Research Computer. Use of the Genealogy Research Computer is both first come first serve and by reservation. Please call the library if you would like to book a time to use the Genealogy Research Computer @ 618-942-6109. Use of the Genealogy Research Computer is also independent research. If you would like assistance getting started, you must book a librarian ahead of time. Please email (herrinhistoryroom@gmail.com) or call the library at @ 618-942-6109 to request an appointment.

The Genealogy Research Computer has access to:

· Ancestry Library Edition

· Familysearch.org – Affiliate Library

· Computer Scans of our collection of microfilm of Herrin News & Herrin Daily Journal from the 1800s to about 1945.

·Coal Mines of Illinois – Williamson County

·Illinois Mining Accidents

·Find a Grave

The history area is also home to the Linda Jennings Banks History Room. Available to researchers by appointment only, The History Room houses the bulk of our historycollection including previous research, old documents, paper copies of the Herrin Spokesman, and historical photographs. Some genealogical documents are also in our collection. Please contact Lisa Carnaghi – Herrin History Room Researcher by email at (herrinhistoryroom@gmail.com.) Or you may call Herrin City Library (618) 942-6109 to leave a message.

Did you know? Herrin City Library now subscribes to Family Tree Magazine. You may find this magazine in the Magazine and Newspaper section of the library. Find more useful Genealogy resources on the Herrin History Room page.

Our newest additions to the the Herrin History Room research page:

The Best Social Media Accounts for Genealogy

Facebook

One of the main benefits of Facebook is the ability to join global forums such as DNA Detectives, national groups such as Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, and state- or region-focused groups.

AccessGenealogy

AccessGenealogy is a vast directory of free records and resources for US genealogy, especially Native American research. The AccessGenealogy Facebook page is a great way to keep up with the latest free resources and news from the site. Both the AccessGenealogy website and Facebook page are tools that every US researcher should keep in their back pocket!

Evidence Explained

Based on Elizabeth Shown Mill’s classic book Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace (Genealogical Publishing Co.), this page is a great resource for those who “use, cite, and seek to understand historical records.” The posts here primarily link to the Evidence Explained website, which hosts an impressive number of forums for citation issues, evidence analysis and more. The Facebook page functions as a sort of highlight reel of what’s going on in the forums, and is a great place to dive into the nitty-gritty of record use and citation.

Genealogy Center

Many people are familiar with the Allen County Public Library for its Periodical Source Index, or PERSI. But the library also sponsors a Facebook page that provides a variety of helpful tidbits and opportunities for genealogists.

The Center offers many free, virtual events on a variety of genealogy topics. Additionally, you can watch one of their short, informative videos on everything from finding records to preserving photographs. The admins are responsive and accessible, so this page is also a good place to bring your library research questions.

Get a “tour” of the index here.

Other Facebook Groups for Genealogy

Twitter

@LegalGen

Judy G. Russell (aka The Legal Genealogist) is a pillar of the genealogy community, and her Twitter feed is a great way to keep up with what’s happening over on her blog. Russell tweets about genealogy news, research and more, all with her trademark focus on the legal and civic aspects of the genealogical world.

article source: The Best Social Media Accounts for Genealogy.