Did you know Muhlenberg County Public Libraries offers a free way to work on your genealogy research from your own home?
Every Muhlenberg County Public Libraries user can log into HeritageQuest Online with their library card number (referred to on the HeritageQuest website as “barcode”) to begin searching for information.
Library cardholders can also temporarily access popular genealogy website Ancestry.com from their homes for free through Kentucky Virtual Library.
Both websites are operated by parent company ProQuest.
While these two services are both operated by the same parent company, they do not have all the same information. HeritageQuest has a smaller collection, but it includes some of the most popular data, such as census records.
HeritageQuest also includes city directories, maps, family stories and more.
Ancestry, meanwhile, has many additional records, including vital (birth and death) records, court and legal documents, and more.
Ancestry isn’t typically available to cardholders outside the library without an additional fee for an individual account, so HeritageQuest is a great way to get started or to supplement your research if Ancestry isn’t available.
Muhlenberg County Public Libraries is fortunate to be able to offer Ancestry Library Edition temporarily to our patrons in their own homes. This service is provided through Kentucky Virtual Library in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives. Currently, this service is set to expire some time in 2021.
In the meantime, patrons can visit our Online Resources page at http://www.mcplib.org/resources to find a link to the Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL). You may need to call the library to get current login information, which changes frequently, but once you log in, you will have access to a vast collection of databases and other research materials.
As long as it is available, you can find Ancestry Library Edition in the “Databases” drop-down menu or in the A to Z List of Resources on KYVL.
Even after this special Ancestry access expires, our patrons will continue to have free access to HeritageQuest Online. There is a link to HeritageQuest on our Online Resources page, as well.
You will need a valid library card number to log in to HeritageQuest, but you can access it at any time from any location.
Know Your Library – Online Genealogy Resources
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I want to search ancestor virtual Library
If you’re wanting to access Ancestry through Kentucky Virtual Library, you can get started with that at this link: http://mcplib.org/resources/
Just click on the KYVL logo (at the bottom of the page linked above) and click on the lock icon on the upper right to log in. You can call our circulation desk at either Harbin Memorial library or the Central City library for the login information, if you don’t have that.
Once you’re logged in, you can search for Ancestry using the search bar at the top of the page, or you can click on “Databases” and you’ll find it listed there. It should be the second item listed. Click on Ancestry Library Edition from there.
That may take you to a page with information about Ancestry Library Edition instead of taking you directly to Ancestry. If so, you can click on the Ancestry Library Edition logo to begin your information search.