Preservation Week April 22-28

Have you ever sifted through your parents’ or grandparents’ photos wondering who those faded faces were? You can learn to save your heritage during Preservation Week, April 22-28, through programs in our libraries! In observance of Preservation Week: Pass It On!, the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System will present a series of free public programs, events and activities on the importance of preserving personal, family, community and cultural memories and treasures. These programs are supported in part by a grant from the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation. Check the events calendar for more information.

And in keeping with the spirit of Preservation Week, why not take some time to learn more about your family heritage? All Atlanta-Fulton Public Library patrons have access to Ancestry Library Edition from within any of our 34 branches! HeritageQuest can be used from home to search census records and family histories. To access this database, visit the A-Z database list from our website. You will need the current GALILEO password, which you can find by logging into your library account with your card number and PIN, and following these directions. These databases are excellent tools for those getting started with genealogy and mapping out their family trees.

We hope our patrons get the most out of discovering their own heritage and learning how to preserve it for future generations!

Celebrate Teen Tech Week March 4-10!

Here are 25 ways you can participate March 4-10, 2012 so you can get into the theme of Geek Out @ Your Library! These ideas brought to you by The American Library Association's Young Adult Library Service's Association.

1. Visit the library’s webpage at www.afpls.org.

2. Download an eBook or eAudiobook from the library.

3. Download mobile library apps to your phone or tablet.

4. Check out the library’s blog at http://afpls.blogspot.com.

5. Try a book-focused site like GoodReads, LibraryThing or Shelfari.

6. Create a soundtrack or book trailer for your favorite book.

7. Ask a librarian to recommend a book on an area of technology that interests you.

8. Add something to an article on Wikipedia.

9. Set up a podcast for a group or club you belong to.

10. Find the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library on Facebook and “Like” us!

11. Check out your favorite author’s webpage or blog.

12. Create an avatar on Yahoo! Avatars.

13. Start a Teen Tech Club at your school or library branch.

14. Read and contribute to a blog about technology.

15. Download a newspaper article from the day you were born using on of the
library’s many electronic databases.

16. Create a YouTube, Animoto or Vimeo video about your library or favorite book.

17. Take a class on digital photography or graphic design.

18. Learn how to use new software.

19. Search the library’s Biography Resource Center database for your favorite musician.

20. Watch some anime or start an anime club at your library.

21. Learn how to DJ or record music with a computer.

22. Start a Twitter, Tumblr or Flickr account.

23. Volunteer to tutor library users who are new to using computers.

24. Use the 'Ask a Librarian' feature of the library's website to ask a librarian a question.

25. From the library's website, use Ancestry Library to look up one of your grandparents.

Have fun exploring all the tech savvy ways you can geek out at your library!

Genealogy @ Your Library!

If you're interested in learning about your ancestors, or simply must know if you are related to anyone famous (or infamous!), then the upcoming holiday season can provide a great chance to start doing a little research into your family tree. Asking grandparents and great-grandparents about other family and events they remember can be a great place to start. With that information in hand and a little bit of research using some of the resources from the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, you can work your way back through time, finding ancestors along the way!

HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry Library Edition are both available through the library's A-Z Database list. HeritageQuest can be used from home to search census records and family histories. To access this database, you will need the current GALILEO password, which you can find by logging into your library account with your card number and PIN, and following these directions. You will need to go to your local library branch to search Ancestry Library Edition for birth, death, and marriage records, census, military and immigration records, and much more. And of course you can check the library catalog for any print materials available that may help you with your search.

The Special Collections Department of the Central Library houses the Library System's Genealogy Collection. This collection of sources has an emphasis on Georgia, but information from other Southern states may also be found here. GALILEO has also compiled an extensive list of online databases and websites geared towards Georgia family histories, including the Digital Library of Georgia.

Good luck, and happy researching!