Genealogy

Online Resources      Genealogy Policy     Special Collections

Overview

The North Carolina Room of the Henderson County Public Library provides a pleasant atmosphere for genealogical research. The growing collection, with emphasis on local and North Carolina materials, contains over 500 volumes including books and microfilm. The room is equipped with a microfilm reader/scanner and computers. Volunteers are available at times to help with research. Call the Library Reference Desk for more information or check the schedule on the bulletin board.

Using the North Carolina Room for Genealogical Research

The Main Genealogy Collection - When visiting the North Carolina Room for genealogical research you may want to begin by searching the collection through the online card catalog. The catalog will search throughout the library, including the North Carolina Room, for relevant material.

There is also a light green notebook labeled "Research Guide", located between the 2 Genealogy PCs, this contains a listing of the collection by topic. Also included in the guide are listings of other local genealogy resources and useful internet sites. The print material in the North Carolina Room is divided into 4 sections: General Genealogy, North Carolina/Local Genealogy, Special Collections and Periodicals. The general genealogy material is found on the open bookshelves. The Special Collection is kept locked in the cases located towards the rear of the room. (See the reference desk staff for access)

Last, the periodicals are kept on the shelves below the windows of the North Carolina room. The library is indebted both to the Western North Carolina Society of Genealogical Research and the Abraham Kuykendall Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Joseph McDowell Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters for their continued support.
Computers in the North Carolina Room - There are three PCs found in the North Carolina Room. The first PC found on the far end of the room and the one in the middle have internet access and are dedicated to genealogical research. Please see the reference staff for access. Patrons can reserve these computers for a 60 minute session at the reference desk. Printing costs $.10 a page. The last computer on the right is a part of the microfilm reader/scanner assembly. Scanned images can be either printed or saved electronically on a flash drive. Patrons should be aware that all of the public computers in the library have access to the library's genealogy databases.

Other Community Resources

The Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society is located downtown, at 401 S. Main, and has a significant collection of local and North Carolina material. They can be found online at http://www.hcghs.com.