Berryville Library expands genealogy resources

The new designation 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.

FamilySeach is extending access to its collections by circulating microfilms of the historic records through select public libraries.

The Berryville 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 percent 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 Berryville Public Library."

There is a nominal fee of $5.50 to order a microfilm. Once the film arrives, patrons use the microfilm reader at the Berryville Public Library to peruse it. Library patrons may seek assistance at the library, or by searching the Family History Library Catalog online at FamilySearch.org to see what records FamilySearch has available to order through the library.