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Archiver > NYNEWYOR > 2002-03 > 1015992113


From: "Joy Rich" <>
Subject: Change in NYG&B Society's Record Search Service
Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 23:01:53 -0500


MessageI would like to let those of you who are not members of The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society know about a major change in one of the society's remote services, the Record Search Service. This change will introduce you to the treasures in the society's library. The Record Search Service is a search of the NYG&B library's unparalleled resources, many of which are unique to it, conducted by volunteers who are experienced genealogists. Even if you are not a member, you can now reap the benefits of 133 years of collecting by the library. For those who are not members, information in books and periodicals is available to you as before. But now, information in manuscripts, microfilm, microfiche, and CD-ROMs is available as well.



The G&B library is one of the principal genealogical reference libraries in the United States. It owns a great many books and periodicals acquired when they were first published and which are now either rare or out-of-print. In addition, many one-of-a-kind items created by professional and family historians are in the manuscript collection. Some of the records in the constantly-growing manuscript collection are transcriptions of New York church records and cemetery records, genealogical charts, maps, personal diaries, account books, vital records from family Bibles, and the compiled notes of prominent genealogists and historians, such as Kenn and Harriet Stryker-Rodda, Josephine Frost, Innes Getty, Alfred Vail, and Asa Fitch, among others.



Some of the records in the ever-expanding microfilm collection, now housed on its own floor, are federal censuses and their indexes; state censuses, some with indexes or other finding aids; deeds, mortgages, other land and property records, and their indexes; wills, letters of administration, other probate records, and their indexes; city directories for Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn; and indexes to New York City births, marriages, divorces, deaths, and coroner's inquisitions.



You can get a sampling of what these holdings are by linking to the individual bibliographies, articles, and other research aids listed on the web site at http://www.nygbs.org/info/researchaids.html.



The Record Search Service is priced at only $35.00 per hour for non-members ($20.00 per hour for members), with a minimum time requirement of just one hour.



To request the assistance of the Record Search Service:



1) Go to the page on the website entitled 'RECORD SEARCH SERVICE," located at http://www.nygbs.org/info/search.html.

2) Read the description of the Record Search Service carefully.

3) Click the link to "Record Search Service Request Form."

4) Print the form, fill it out, and mail it to the library, along with payment for however many hours you are requesting. Payment by check or money order should be made payable to The NYG&B Society. If paying by credit card, please provide your name as it appears on the card, the issuer of the card, the card number, and the expiration date. If paying from outside the U.S., payment must made be in U.S. Dollars, using either a check drawn on a bank with an office in the U.S. or an international money order. You can also pay by credit card.



New members are always welcome, of course! As a member, if you are using the library in person, you will have access to all of the collections, whereas non-members still will not. These are the book and periodical collections (also available to non-members), the manuscript collection, and all of the collections in the Technology Center (microfilm, microfiche, and CD-ROM). You also will have open access to the book stacks for browsing to your heart's content. Information about membership is available on the web site at http://www.nygbs.org/aboutnygb/membership.html.



In addition to the Record Search Service, two other remote services are offered:



MINI SEARCH SERVICE: This service, which provides "lookups" for just $5.00 each, is still offered only to members. Some of the resources that lookups can be done in are listed on the web site. However, this is a far from complete list of the countless number of items in which lookups can be done. Lookups can be done in many additional resources, particularly in indexes or in resources that have indexes or are arranged alphabetically or chronologically. At the time that someone requests a lookup in a resource not itemized on the list on the web site, it is determined if that resource will fit into the scope of the Mini Search Service.

www.nygbs.org/info/mini.html



(3) COPYING SERVICE: Items in all parts of the collection, including books, periodicals, manuscripts, microfilms, microfiche, and CD-ROMs can be copied through this service, by either photocopying or scanning. Copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs photocopying of copyrighted material. Libraries are authorized to furnish a photocopy if it is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research." If a user requests or later uses a photocopy for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. Libraries reserve the right to refuse a copying request if, in their judgment, it might involve violation of copyright law. Any other limitations on copying are explained on the web site.

www.nygbs.org/info/copy.html



The scholarly quarterly journal, "The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record," is included with membership. It has an excellent reputation for its use as an educational tool. The authors of the articles, who include professional genealogists and highly experienced non-professionals, cite sources that many readers may not be familiar with but which they can benefit by knowing about. In addition, the articles are invaluable for teaching both methodology and research skills.

www.nygbs.org/info/record.html



The quarterly newsletter, "The NYGYB Newsletter," is also included with membership. The majority of the articles, also written by professional genealogists and highly experienced non-professionals, discuss the library's holdings and describe them in great detail, giving readers an opportunity to more fully understand the library's collection. The articles normally include the history of the record types discussed. Still other articles teach how to effectively conduct genealogical research in New York City, whether in person or remotely.

www.nygbs.org/info/newsletter.html



Members receive discounts on G&B publications, including recent books, classics, and the quarterly journal, "The Record."

http://www.nygbs.org/info/publications.html



Members receive discounts on educational events, including lectures, learning sessions, workshops, and conferences, some held in New York City and some held elsewhere in the state.

http://www.nygbs.org/ed/programs.html (upcoming events)

http://www.nygbs.org/ed/pastevents.html (past events)



As you can see, even though those who are not G&B members now have access to the library's holdings through the Record Search Service, membership in the G&B provides you with a significant number of impressive benefits. You can contact to learn more about these benefits.




Joy Rich


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