Library offers genealogy research tools

HESPERIA — Hesperia Community Library is ready to help you explore your family history. The library has the Ancestry database, one of the most widely-used genealogy sources, available for use.  

There are also many other databases and websites available. The library has recently purchased new genealogy books, including titles like “The Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com,” as well as titles with a specific purpose like “Reading Early American Handwriting.”

If you are interested in copies of family photos or just want to put them on your phone so that you can show them to your friends, the Hesperia Community Library can help you. You might even have birth or death certificates, military records or land deeds that you want to preserve. The library is now setting up appointments on Saturdays to scan your documents and photos. You just need to stop in the library and sign up. The library staff will scan up to 30 documents or photos onto your flash drive. You will be able to keep your original items and have a digital copy.

“Many of us have tossed family photos into a box for years,” said Kay Brennan, library director. “We might like to share them, but don’t have the skills or time to make the copies.”  This service will help you by giving you a digital copy you can take to a photo center and create as many copies as you want. You might even consider giving a copy to your local history group and sharing your memories or family history with your community.  Appointments are available beginning Nov. 7 on Saturdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.