Using Online Library Catalogs - Saturday, June 8, 2013

Saturday June 8, 2013
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612

Browsing is fun. We've all whiled away the hours scanning the shelves of our favorite bookstores. But libraries aren't bookstores and browsing a library is not research!

A recent survey of 600 genealogical society members revealed that more than half were not using online library catalogs. If you are a part of that majority, you are missing out on a valuable research tool.

Join California Genealogical Society librarians Barbara Hill and Laura Spurrier for an informative class on using online public access catalogs (OPACs) and how they can aid your genealogy research. Libraries large and small (including our own) have these databases you can access from home. Barbara and Laura will share their expertise so you can search effectively and utilize these powerful tools.

Register online.

This class is limited to thirty participants and is a free benefit of membership. Non-member fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards membership on the day of the class.

Preregistration is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted. Registration confirmations will be sent to the first thirty registrants. Additional names will be collected and placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations.

Barbara Hill retired after thirty-three years of library work, with experience in a public library, a school library, a small scientific research library, and an academic library. Her last position, at the U.C. Berkeley Library, involved ordering books from all over the world. She ascribes her interest in genealogy to "prenatal influence," as her mother was researching the family tree at the Library of Congress before Barbara was born. Although she did not begin active pursuit of her ancestors until after her marriage, she has been at it ever since. Barbara has been a member of the California Genealogical Society since 1985 and currently serves on the Library Committee.

Laura Spurrier retired from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory after serving as a reference librarian, head of cataloging, and technical information specialist. Among her M.A. degrees, she has an M.L.S. from U.C. Berkeley. Genealogy was the family hobby in the Spurrier household so Laura caught the bug as a teenager. She is a specialist in Quaker research and has lectured on the topic to the society. Laura has been a member of the society since 1996 and currently serves on the Library Committee.


Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.