52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 5

Here's the 5th week assignment for sharpening up those genealogy skills, and it is a great one. WorldCat.org is a terrific resource, and I use it all the time for tracking down those elusive materials that I need to access. You will be amazed at what you can find there. And, don't forget to try the advanced search feature.

Play with WorldCat.org. WorldCat is a massive network of library content that the public can search for free (user name and password not required). Not every library is a part of WorldCat, but the vast size of the network makes it an important genealogy tool. If you are looking for a specific book or publication, enter the identifying information into the WorldCat search box and see which libraries hold the item. You may even find that you can get the item through your library’s inter-library loan program. Don’t forget to search for some of your more unusual surnames and see what comes up. The goal is to play with WorldCat and examine its possibilities for your own research. If you’re already familiar with WorldCat, play with it again. The network and collection grow and change constantly. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experiences with searching WorldCat for this exercise.

This challenge runs from Saturday, 30 January 2010 through Friday, 5 February 2010.