Moorhead Public Library offers advanced tools for genealogy research
Jeffrey Salinas-Jenni helps Jeanne Aske research her family’s roots at the Moorhead Public Library. Photo/Lake Agassiz Regional Library.
ancy Edmonds Hanson
The Lake Agassiz Regional Library system is offering an extensive set of high-tech tools to help patrons dig up their family histories.
Librarian Jeffrey Salinas-Jenni points to new services available at the Moorhead Public Library, as well as other branches of LARL in Ada, Barnesville, Breckenridge, Detroit Lakes and eight other libraries it serves and its nine link sites.
LARL has become a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, providing in-depth genealogy resources to some 6 billion searchable names and 2 billion images of historical genealogical records. Along with access to the premier site, the libraries offer the assistance of library staff, including Jeffrey and fellow Ask a Techspert librarian Jen Junkert.
The website, created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and headquartered in Salt Lake City, is a world leader in family history. It encompasses birth, death, census, land and court records from more than 130 countries. The Moorhead Public Library and its LARL cousins are one of only a few hundred affiliate libraries in the country. By joining, it provides library patrons with greater and more convenient access to FamilySearch resources.
Along with FamilySearch, the library offers in-depth access to searchable records on Ancestry.com and several other sources including FamilyQuest Online, ProQuest and the Minnesota Digital Library. Researchers can access the resources through the Moorhead library, either online or by visiting and using one of its computer stations. To reach the sites, visit www.larl.org/research/genealogy.
Jeffrey, who has worked with the Moorhead library for the past year, has an extensive background in libraries in Las Vegas, where he attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He became interested in genealogy through his own family history, which – he says – turned up some surprises, including a previously unkown half brother. “Knowing your family history can be so important,” he observes. “While there aren’t many medical records available, for example, you can gain the information to reach out to relatives.”
Library staff provide an extra layer of guidance and expertise to patrons who seek to trace their family trees. Customers can schedule an hour of one-on-one time, both for genealogy research and for online and computer assistance in general. Jeffrey and Jen are available from 3 to 4 p.m. every Wednesday for the group meetings christened “Ask a Techspert.” He says most sessions draw half a dozen or more men and women – mostly middle-aged and older – seeking help with everything from how to use their smartphones and tablets to clearing their gear of preloaded but unwanted apps.
Jeffrey points out a huge uptick in do-it-yourself DNA-based home ancestry kits like “23 and Me” has spurred the rise of interest in family histories. The library got involved in aiding family detectives in 2021, when local expert Les Bakke conducted three workshops on how to get started in tracking down your roots using Ancestry and FamilySearch. His how-to sessions were videotaped and are available on the library’s Facebook site and web pages, as well as YouTube.
To access the genealogy resources, visit the LARL libraries, or visit www.larl.org/research/genealogy. A free account may be required to access parts of the site. As a FamilySearch affiliate library, additional records are available within LARL locations.
