Burns Lake residents now have an easy way to investigate where their ancestors actually came from.
Since May 2017, the Burns Lake Public Library has been offering access to the library edition of ancestry.ca., a subscription-based website that offers access to 129 million searchable Canadian family history records.
Although the website offers monthly memberships starting at $14.99, the Burns Lake library is offering free access.
“People want to connect with their past and we can help,” said library director Sashka Macievich.
The website consists of a group of databases that contain genealogical information such as birth, marriage and death records, as well as immigration and military records. More databases are added as they become digitized.
“It works by entering information that a person knows about a relative from their past, and they find information to confirm that they are part of their family history,” explained Macievich. “Using that information, they would do more searches to find more relatives, parents, children and spouses, to go back generations.”
The library edition offers slightly different features than the edition people can normally subscribe to.
“Basically it is the exact same except that you cannot save or make a family tree,” said Macievich. “But you can email documents and information to yourself.”
When asked how long it takes for someone to find out where their ancestors came from, Macievich said there’s not specific time.
“It depends on how much information a person wants, where their family originates from and how much information is available,” she said. “For most people it is a hobby that they spend time on for a few hours each week or month; it can take months or years.”
Although the website is fairly user friendly, the Burns Lake Public Library offers an instruction sheet to guide new users, and most of the library staff are familiar with the software.
“It is very easy to access and use, and the library staff will help people navigate the website, but it is very user friendly and most people can use it on their own,” said Macievich. “It can only be used in the library on one of our computers or on your own device accessing our wireless.”
Although free access to ancestry.ca is available for all provincial libraries, not all libraries are participating.
“We receive a deal through the North Central Library Federation that is based on the number of libraries that participate,” explained Macievich. “We will offer this service for as long as people are using it and as long as it is available for us to subscribe to.”