New on the Net by Kelly Clark Suzanne Clouthier Haidee Parker Rana Shaskin Richmond Public Library

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Genealogy, or the search for family ancestors and histories, seeks to answer the age-old question, "Where do I come from?".

Once a tedious endeavour, the internet offers fast and remarkable access to census records, family history centres, conventions, and fellow genealogists.

Get to a great start with Family History which is maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. Since 1938, the Morman Family History Library has gathered more than two million microfilm copies of original genealogical records from over 100 countries. The microfilms are accessible through their branches listed online. The site also includes five easy steps for getting started, recommended software programs, a pedigree tree template to download, and more.

Another "must see" is the The Genealogy Home Page, offering such gems as Robert Bickman's 26 Genealogy Tips, Netiquette for news groups and chat lines, and the highly recommended World GenWeb Project for world-wide information.

Canadian online resources are found with Genealogical Resources on the internet - WWW/Canada. It offers a roster of provincial archives, migration records, conferences, chat lines, and societies sharing a common ancestry. Those with family roots in British Columbia can find indexes for marriage or death registrations with The B.C Archives.

Another interesting site is The Center for Life Stories Preservation with a guide for writing and sharing personal memoirs. Also, have a look at the new online gem The Journal of Online Genealogy which is a free and excellent e-zine. A recent volume includes tips for avoiding genealogy scams, updates of online genealogical data and software comparisons.

Finally, the internet's miraculous holdings are still subject to human error. Be cautious in embracing all online information as being correct.

This column and its links can be accessed from the internet version of the Richmond Review, found on Richmond Public Library's website. The library offers free use of the drop-in internet stations or reserve a station by calling the main branch at 231-6415, or the Steveston branch at 274-2012. The library also offers introductory and hands-on internet classes. Call 231-6405 to register. Please e-mail comments and suggestions to column@yourlibrary.ca.