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Getting Started
Access to archives and records worldwide via the Internet
has given the genealogist a very powerful research tool. More and more people each day are
delving into their family's past, hoping to find long lost ancestors, and sometimes, more often
than not, a few skeletons in the closet.
With more and more people researching their roots, the library becomes an even more important
resource for information.
The County of Prince Edward Public Library system does not charge for searching our records.
Charges apply only for large orders of printing/photocopying, and for postage.
Some of the requests can be answered fairly quickly, if the information provided by the patron
is accurate (i.e. a death notice in the local paper with the correct date.) However, most
requests are extremely in-depth, and require deep research into the local history collection,
which involves books, microfilm, newspaper clippings, and CD Rom. Access is not restricted to
in-house materials only; reels of microfilm are ordered frequently for patrons seeking census
information, vital statistics, i.e. birth, marriage, and death registrations, immigration and
passenger lists, as well as cemetery transcriptions, baptismal registers, and land
grants.
Once information has been located, it is then photocopied, scanned, or printed, then assembled
and sent to the requester. On average, a simple request, (a copy of a death notice from the
local paper on microfilm, the correct date) can be finished in 30 minutes or so. If the date
specified is inaccurate in any way, the search can take more than a full day. If the patron
wants any and all references to their family name, in all resources available (locally), this
can take well up to 2 full weeks of searching. Not only is the time spent locating the
material, but also copying it, and assembling it for shipment. Most of the requests received by
the Prince Edward Public Library system are in-depth searches that can take weeks to months to
complete, as currently, these searches can only be undertaken when time and staff
permit.
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