A Columbian reader has a copy of the Genealogy Tables of Some Rippey Families in the United States, printed in 1931. Before she gives it away to a family member, she wants to see if another copy is available in a library for other researchers to use.

There are three libraries that I search to find books. The first one is the Internet, which is like a huge virtual library.
I used the search engine, Google, and entered the name of the Rippey book in quotes. The book is out of copyright and in the public domain, so someone could legitimately copy it and post it on the Internet. To date, they have not done so.

The second library is the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The Library has copies of thousands of family histories. Many of them have been microfilmed, and the microfilm can be borrowed through the local Family History Centers. Their catalog is online at www.familysearch.org. The Rippey book is found in the catalog. Unfortunately, it has not been microfilmed. That means it can only be viewed in Salt Lake City.

The good news is that the Library has a copy service. They will copy pages at a nominal cost. Contact information for the Library is on their website.

The third library where I look for genealogy books is the Library of Congress’ catalog, online at www.loc.gov. The Library of Congress is the largest library in the United States, and they have tens of thousands of genealogy books. Many of their books can be borrowed through Interlibrary loan. Unfortunately, they do not have a copy of the Rippey book.

The Library of Congress website has several other interesting parts that you can access from the home page.

One is "America’s Story from America’s Library." This site was designed for young people and their families. It is intended to make learning about history fun. On the site, you can find out what Abraham Lincoln had in his pockets on the night he was assassinated or read about Buffalo Bill Cody and Harriet Tubman and Duke Ellington and Thomas Edison and other American heroes. There is excellent background material that can be used when you write up your family book. It’s also a good site for the grandchildren to get information for their school projects.

My favorite part of the Library of Congress’ website is "American Memory; US History and Culture." The search option allows you to search hundreds of digital collections from the Library of Congress.

© 2006

Connie Lenzen, CG

CG, Certified Genealogist, is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certified genealogists after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.