In the past few months, there has been a new collection of training videos added to Heritage Quest Online, that will be of interest to family historians of all skill levels. This collection is called the “Learning Center.” As a card-carrying, computer savvy DBRL patron, you should be able to easily access this new information and learn a whole new world of information—regardless of your genealogy skill level. Before I forget, Heritage Quest Online can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, wherever you have access to the Internet. The key is that you need to go through www.dbrl.org to get there. Here’s the process in a nutshell!
- Go to www.dbrl.org/db (or from the library’s homepage, select “databases” from the Research menu)
- Find and click the “Genealogy” category in the jump menu.
- Click on “Heritage Quest Online” and enter your library card number. You’re on your way!
- Click on any of the headings in Heritage Quest Online (Search Census, Search Books , Search PERSI, Search Revolutionary War, Search Freedman’s Bank, Search U. S. Serial Set), and you’ll see a tab on the top that reads “LEARNING CENTER NEW!” Click on this title, and you’re in!
On the left hand side of the screen in blue, is a listing of more than 60 topics that relate to genealogy, starting with “African American Genealogical Research at the Library of Congress” and ending with “Yes You Can! Do Genealogy in Spite of a Learning Disability.” In the next column, you’ll see the skill level needed (meaning how much prior genealogical research experience you have). Then you will see the name of the presenter or organization, followed by a description of the topic in the last column. Click on any title that interests you to open up a webinar on that topic. Be sure to have your speakers on and maximize the screen for better visibility. Now you can be the expert on a topic related to your family history!
Happy hunting from me, the Obsessed Genealogist!
