There has been a fair amount of concern/discussion about paid versus free genealogy sites. Many feel that the "big" sites want to get as much money out of the researcher as possible. However, these are not simply "big businesses" that run television commercials. Most of them offer free access to people using libraries that subscribe to the services. Almost all of them offer free access to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. That organization estimates this is a value to its members of around $900 per year. In short, you can spend a lot of money on research sites, but you can also access the information inexpensively, or even for free.
In our Society, almost everyone either lives inside the City of Ocean Shores (inside the entry portal) or in the Timberland Regional Library district (outside the entry portal to Ocean Shores in exotic places such as Hoquiam, Aberdeen or even Hogan's Corner). Accordingly, everybody can get a card for at least one of those two libraries as a starting point. In the case of Timberland, if you work in their area you can get a free card. In the case of Ocean Shores, if you go to North Beach, you can get one. If you live in OS and commute to a job in Aberdeen, or if you live in Ocean City and go to North Beach HS, you can have BOTH an OS and a TRL Library Card. That combo gives the most choices.
If you know WHERE to go, you can access many of these genealogy sites for free. The table below outlines libraries you can go and their genealogy-related services. If you are a TRL card holder, many of these sites can be accessed from your home. If not, most "WC" and "WL" libraries have free access in their libraries for anyone who brings in a laptop and uses Wi-Fi. In a few cases, you may have to get a "guest internet access" account to use a library computer, but even these are generally free of charge. Genealogy sites charge libraries for their "Library" edition, so each system decides what is most desirable to buy for their patron mix and their budet.
As you can see, access differs greatly from system to system. Some of these systems have access either with a card or directly to newspapers beyond those listed in the Table below. The North Olympic System, for example, has access to the Proquest papers, Washington Newsbank, and the Seattle Times since 1985, in addition to their Clallam Archive which doesn't require a logon or library account of any kind.
The table can be updated (upon request) to include other newspaper links that'd be valuable enough to list separately. Also not in the table are links to things like the Wayfinder that is offered by the Washington State Library (a subset of Worldcat). Interlibrary loans are probably a separate post in any event, though they were discussed briefly on our Worldcat page.
As an example, I got a Seattle Library Card using my TRL card and my Texas Driver's License (same address as on my Ocean Park property tax bill). In addition to what I could get with TRL, I am now able to remotely access the Seattle Times back to 1895, the New York Times back to 1851, and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps in Minnesota that are NOT available from the Library of Congress. My mom lives in Seattle so I even visit that library personally on occasion.
Links to items that can be accessed with a card at home are noted in the table. Pierce County and Kitsap appears to use one logon for all their remote services. Those "access everything you can" links are here and here.
Regions accross the country differ in their genealogy database access even for the same service. Texas libraries, for example, do NOT allow people to access Ancestry via the library Wi-Fi - only on a library computer. Access to library computers there, as in Washington, differs from library to library - it is always wise to ask a librarian. Even systems that require a logon for their Wi-Fi often offer free logon credentials to guests. Most libraries will offer free use of their computers if asked nicely and if it is an appropriate use.
These posts need not be viewed in any particular order, and Hoquiam residents will be less interested in the “Libraries to Consider” while Ocean Shores residents will be less interested in the “Seattle’s Special” topic.
In our Society, almost everyone either lives inside the City of Ocean Shores (inside the entry portal) or in the Timberland Regional Library district (outside the entry portal to Ocean Shores in exotic places such as Hoquiam, Aberdeen or even Hogan's Corner). Accordingly, everybody can get a card for at least one of those two libraries as a starting point. In the case of Timberland, if you work in their area you can get a free card. In the case of Ocean Shores, if you go to North Beach, you can get one. If you live in OS and commute to a job in Aberdeen, or if you live in Ocean City and go to North Beach HS, you can have BOTH an OS and a TRL Library Card. That combo gives the most choices.
If you know WHERE to go, you can access many of these genealogy sites for free. The table below outlines libraries you can go and their genealogy-related services. If you are a TRL card holder, many of these sites can be accessed from your home. If not, most "WC" and "WL" libraries have free access in their libraries for anyone who brings in a laptop and uses Wi-Fi. In a few cases, you may have to get a "guest internet access" account to use a library computer, but even these are generally free of charge. Genealogy sites charge libraries for their "Library" edition, so each system decides what is most desirable to buy for their patron mix and their budet.
As you can see, access differs greatly from system to system. Some of these systems have access either with a card or directly to newspapers beyond those listed in the Table below. The North Olympic System, for example, has access to the Proquest papers, Washington Newsbank, and the Seattle Times since 1985, in addition to their Clallam Archive which doesn't require a logon or library account of any kind.
The table can be updated (upon request) to include other newspaper links that'd be valuable enough to list separately. Also not in the table are links to things like the Wayfinder that is offered by the Washington State Library (a subset of Worldcat). Interlibrary loans are probably a separate post in any event, though they were discussed briefly on our Worldcat page.
As an example, I got a Seattle Library Card using my TRL card and my Texas Driver's License (same address as on my Ocean Park property tax bill). In addition to what I could get with TRL, I am now able to remotely access the Seattle Times back to 1895, the New York Times back to 1851, and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps in Minnesota that are NOT available from the Library of Congress. My mom lives in Seattle so I even visit that library personally on occasion.
Links to items that can be accessed with a card at home are noted in the table. Pierce County and Kitsap appears to use one logon for all their remote services. Those "access everything you can" links are here and here.
Regions accross the country differ in their genealogy database access even for the same service. Texas libraries, for example, do NOT allow people to access Ancestry via the library Wi-Fi - only on a library computer. Access to library computers there, as in Washington, differs from library to library - it is always wise to ask a librarian. Even systems that require a logon for their Wi-Fi often offer free logon credentials to guests. Most libraries will offer free use of their computers if asked nicely and if it is an appropriate use.
Ancestry
Access
|
FamilySearch
|
Heritage
Quest
|
My
Heritage
|
Newspaper
Historic
|
Newspaper
Modern
|
Newspaper
Obituaries
|
Sanborn
Maps
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Shores | No | No | No | No | No | No | NBW-WC | No | No |
| Timberland Regional (TRL) | ---- | WL | No | WC | No | NA-WC | NBW-WC USN-WC List | No | WA via WC |
| King County | Yes | WL | No | WC | No | Gale-WC NYT-WC NA-WC | PR-WC WDN List | No | WA via WC |
| Kitsap Regional | Yes | WL | Bremerton | WC | No | NBW-WC NYM-WC | No | No | No |
| North Olympic | Yes | WL | Forks | WC | No | OCC | NBW-WC PRO-WC | No | No |
| Pierce County | Yes | WL | No | WC | WC | No | PRO-WC STNB-WC WAN-WC | No | No |
| Seattle | Yes | WL | Main Branch | WC | No | STH-WC NYT-WC | NBUS-WC PRO-WC PR-WC, List | NBAG-WC | US via WC |
| Washington State | Depends | WL | No | No | No | WDN | NBUS-WC PRO-WC, List | EH-M NBAG-WC | Microfilm |
| Everett | No | WL | No | No | No | EH-M | NBUS-WC PRO-WC | EH-M | WA via WC |
| Tacoma | No | WL | No | WC | No | No | NBUS-WC PRO-WC WAN-WC | No | No |
| Out of Region | |||||||||
| Hurst, TX | No | LCO | No | No | WC | No | No | No | No |
Table Abbreviations:
- EH-M Everett Herald on real, old-fashioned microfilm from 1901 - at the library
- Gale-WC Gale Group database of historic 19th Century newspapers - with library card
- LCO May only be accessed on a library-owned computer (no access on library Wi-Fi)
- STH-WC Seattle Times since 1895 - with library card
- STNB-WC Seattle Times since 1985 - with library card
- NA-WC Newspaper Archive - with library card
- NBAG-WC America's Genealogy by Newsbank - with library card
- NBH-WC Newsbank Historic Papers (1690-1922) - with library card
- NBUS-WC US Newsbank - with library card
- NBW-WC Newsbank Washington State papers - with library card
- NYT-WC New York Times since 1851 - with library card
- NYM-WC New York Times since 1980 - with library card
- OCC Digitized Old Clallam County Newspapers - no library card needed
- PR-WC Pressreader - with library card
- PRO-WC Proquest - with library card
- USN-WC US Newsstream - over 1000 newspapers since 1980 - with library card
- WAN-WC West Coast Newsstream - like US Newsstream but just West Coast - with library card
- WC - accessed at home with a library card or at library via Wi-Fi or on a library-owned computer
- WDN Washington Digital Newspapers via Washington State Library - some links require a card and some don't
- WL - accessed within the library itself using Wi-Fi or a library-owned computer
- Sanborn Maps are also available through the Library of Congress (our post on this was here). Regional libraries differ as to whether they offer more maps than LOC for a given locale. Only Seattle appears to offer more than LOC nationally.
- The Hurst Library shows how Ancestry Library access differs from region to region. It also is rare in offering MyHeritage, though that is "WC." Libraries that offer Sanborn Maps typically only offer maps for their own State.
- The Library Edition of HeritageQuest offers City Directories and the Newspapers dot com Obituary Index from Ancestry, and HeritageQuest can generally be accessed from home with library credentials
- Fold3 is also available at some libraries and may be able to be accessed remotely with a card. Unfortunately, I know of no libraries that offer acces in Washington State. If you were in Texas, you could get a Euless or Grapevine Library access to Fold 3.
These posts need not be viewed in any particular order, and Hoquiam residents will be less interested in the “Libraries to Consider” while Ocean Shores residents will be less interested in the “Seattle’s Special” topic.
- North Beach Genealogy Goes to the Library – An introduction to this post series
- Regional Library Access – This post
- Nearby Libraries – Ocean Shores Public Library, Timberland Regional Library, and Grays Harbor College Library
- Washington State Library – Where our State keeps its stuff
- Other Public Libraries for OS – Pierce County Library, Kitsap Regional Library, and North Olympic Library may offer cards to OS residents, or not
- Seattle's Special – The Seattle Public Library offers some things no other system can match. It’s nice to be giant and rich!
- Beyond the Library – All the genealogy you could ever want without a trip out-of-state
