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Today is: Thursday, March 11, 2010
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Genealogy Help

Guide Books and General Books on Genealogy

Guidebooks provide instruction on how to proceed, and where and how to locate information. Some overlap with bibliographies by providing lists of pertinent titles. Some important genealogical guides to be found in the Altoona Area Public Library collection are:

     Eakle, Arlene, and Johni Cerney. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Publishing Co., 1984. R 929.1 Sou (Reference Dept.)

     Helm, Matthew, and April Leigh Helm. Genealogy Online for Dummies. Foster City, Ca.: IDG Books Worldwide, 1998. 929.10285 Hel (Non-Fic)

     Hoenstine, Floyd G. Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research in Pennsylvania, 2d. ed. Hollidaysburg, Pa.: Hoenstine Rental Library, 1958. 016.9748 H671 (PA Room)

A variety of search strategies should be used to locate all of the titles the library has to offer. The broadest approach will bring over 180 titles which may not all be of interest to you. Some approaches follow.

     Conduct a Subject Keyword search of the Public Access Catalog using combinations of terms:

"genealogy" (This is the broadest search which brings up over 180 titles)
"genealogy--handbooks, manuals, etc."
"genealogy--sources"
"genealogy--dictionaries"
"genealogy--methodology"
"genealogy--software"
"genealogy--computer programs"
"genealogy--data processing"
"genealogy--Pennsylvania"
"genealogy--Altoona (or Hollidaysburg, Martinsburg, etc.)
"genealogy--Blair County" (or another PA county)
"genealogy--catalogs"
"genealogy--Great Britain" (or Ireland, Italy, German, Hispanic American, etc.)

     Other related terms to search:

"kinship"
"family"
"family history"
"family tree"
"clans"
"United States history--Blair County"

 

GoodSearch: You Search...We Give! Help the Altoona Area Public Library earn money. Just use "GoodSearch" to do your internet searching. It is a free search engine that you can add as a toolbar to your browser. Everytime you do a search using the "GoodSearch" search site or toolbar the Library earns money. Just click on the logo to get started, then search or click on "Get the GoodSearch toolbar or add us to your search box".

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Residents of the Blair Tower display Valentines they received from the Altoona Area Public Library's teen group Y.E.L.L. (Youth Empowerment Living and Learning). The teens participate in various community service projects throughout the year and chose the residents of the Blair Tower to be the recipients of these special, hand-made Valentines. In the photo standing (left to right) Ruth Begley, Ralph Covino, Alverta Sommer, Jeanette Fries, Maxine Adams, and Donna Mohrmann. Seated, Jennifer Knisely, Altoona Area Public Library, and Jane Eamigh.

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Friends of the Altoona Area Public Library, Ann Wolf and Helen Gorsuch, present a check for $10,000 to Debbie Weakland, Altoona Library Executive Director. The check represents the proceeds from a recent USED BOOK SALE. All of the Friends of the Library thank their patrons who support the Used Book Sales, which in turn, support programming and services for everyone to enjoy at the Library.

Photo: L to R Helen Gorsuch, Friends Treasurer; Debbie Weakland, AAPL Executive Director; Ann Wolf, Friends President

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Peter Wolf, Trustee of the Wolf-Kuhn Foundation, presents a check to Sonia Keiper and Tim Salony, members of the One Book Blair County committee. The Foundation's gift will support the poetry activities for children, teens and adults which are planned for April 2010 around the theme of HOPE. A number of activities have been planned including a county-wide poetry contest, a poetry workshop, and poetry readings, including a reading by Becky Foust from her work Mom's Canoe. Ms Foust is a published poet and a former resident of the area. Peter Wolf will present a lecture on the relationship between poetry and philosophy.
For contest information email: onebook@altoonalibrary.org

Photo Left to Right: Tim Salony, Blair County Library System Administrator; Sonia Keiper, Altoona Area Public Library Assistant Director; Peter Wolf, Wolf-Kuhn Foundation Trustee

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