Press Release
19 February 2015
Augusta-Richmond County Public Library Expands Genealogy Resources
SALT LAKE CITY—Augusta-Richmond County Public Library announced today it is the newest FamilySearch affiliate library. The new description means library patrons will have greater and more convenient access to the wealth of genealogical resources available through FamilySearch.
FamilySearch is the world’s largest repository of free genealogical records and manages the famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. It has amassed billions of birth, marriage, death, census, land and court records of genealogical significance from over 130 countries.
FamilySearch is extending access to its collections by circulating microfilms of the historic records through select public libraries. The Augusta-Richmond County Public Library is now one of those libraries. It is a priceless resource for local residents interested in discovering their family tree.
“Less than 5% of the world’s genealogical records are available online, and most family history researchers cannot afford to travel to an archive nationally or worldwide to find the historic records they are seeking,” said Paul Nauta, FamilySearch public affairs manager. “If FamilySearch has filmed the records they need, then as far as they will need to travel to view them is the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library.”
FamilySearch has over 200 camera teams filming historic records in 45 countries on any given day. These records are then circulated to public patrons through FamilySearch centers worldwide, like the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library. For example, FamilySearch has filmed over 60% of the Civil Registration (birth, marriage, and death records) of Italy. If you have Italian ancestry, chances are you will be able to extend your Italian research by conveniently using the FamilySearch films through the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library.
There is a nominal fee of $7.50 to order microfilm. Once the film arrives, patrons use the microfilm readers at the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library to peruse it. The library staff can assist patrons see what films are available, place film orders, and answer research questions. Patrons can also search the Family History Library Catalog online at FamilySearch.org to see what records FamilySearch has available to order through the library.
Augusta-Richmond County Public Library
Georgia Heritage Room
(706) 826-1511