Make a Resolution to Learn More About the Past and Family History with Ancestry Library Edition.

New Year’s resolutions should be about making a commitment to enhance life and make strides for a better year ahead. As humans, moving forward in new ways is natural and essential for us to grow. Most times it helps to see where we’ve been first.

The Fraser Public Library offers Ancestry Library Edition to its patrons to unleash their history and connect more with their roots.

“Ancestry gives patrons access to their personal genealogy and uncover more about their past,” said marketing and development coordinator Kelly Forrester. “It’s the most personal service we can provide for our patrons as they have the ability to look for their individual family members.”

The best way to get started using ALE is to make a list of relatives and/or friends patrons want to research with details about them. Birth and death places, companies they worked for, places they lived, military service, etc. This information will be a great starting point to research and allow ALE to fill in the gaps.

“Genealogy is growing in popularity for a reason,” Forrester said. “It’s fun, fascinating and easy to get started at home.”

Even with this list of details, it’s difficult to know where and how to get started, which is why the Fraser Public Library is joining forces with Lisa Eschenburg of the Macomb County Genealogy Group to teach patrons the building blocks of Ancestry Library Edition.

“We have temporary remote access to ALE due to the ongoing pandemic, so we thought patrons could benefit from learning how to use it in the comfort of their homes,” said programming and youth services librarian Kristen Getzin.

Hosting events like a genealogy workshop allow patrons to find the story of them and their home at the library.

“A library’s main job is to be a house to all the stories imaginable,” Forrester said. “It makes it essential we provide a database that gives patrons the power to find the story of them and their home at the library.”

How Do I…Start My Genealogy is January 18 at 7 p.m. The event is hosted on Zoom and the link will be emailed upon registration. Patrons can register for the event on the event calendar on the library website and can access Ancestry Library Edition on their library card account.

Ancestry Library Edition is available for at home use until March 31, 2021.