Availibility of records

Donald Sherry

Family Search has recently allowed libraries across the country to serve as portals to records.

Is there a difference between the number of records available at local libraries and the records available at a Family History Center?

Áine Ní Donnghaile

Absolutely! FamilySearch Centers have access to many records that are not available at Affiliate Libraries.

The term portal refers to access at FamilySearch Centers - we have to log in to the Portal first before accessing the restricted records, as well as many genealogy websites (MyHeritage, Ancestry, various newspaper websites, and more).

At Affiliate Libraries, we just have to access the library wi-fi and we can view/download the record images that are available at that level.

As a basic example, I visited my local Affiliate Library this afternoon. There I could access Cook County (Chicago), Illinois vital records. But, to access New York City vital records, I must visit my local FamilySearch Center. The contract between FamilySearch and each record holder determines where or if we can view each type of record.

This thread has some information you may find helpful.