The last time you were in a college or university library, you were probably cramming for finals or sweating out a research paper for English Lit. So your strolls down alma mater memory lane may tend more toward the football stadium or the student union than the library stacks. But now there's a reason to revisit your alma mater or to explore college and university libraries closer to home—your family history research.

Why turn to an academic library for help with your family tree? True, most college and university libraries don't have a "genealogy collection." But academic libraries usually do have substantial history collections, often concentrating on the local area, and many also have special collections, either as manuscripts or on microfilm. Whatever your level of research, you'll be surprised by the hidden treasures you can dig up in academic libraries. The key is to look for ways to use the materials commonly found in these libraries to enhance your family research.

Resources in a college or university library can help you fill in the background of your ancestors' lives and uncover new clues to focus your research. For example, you might use an academic library to

• discover the history or geography of your grandfather's home;
• verify an incident in your ancestor's Civil War letters;
• learn about major historical and cultural events during your great-grandmother's lifetime;
• research the laws that affected your family;
• locate historical maps, perhaps of the Oregon Trail or the Battle of Franklin.

What kinds of sources can you expect to find? The infinite variety of reference materials will differ with each library. Whether you live near a large university or a local community college, visit the library and explore what it has to offer. If you take a trip to your ancestors' old stomping grounds, make sure to include nearby academic libraries on your itinerary; you might find special local or regional resources unavailable elsewhere.

The following resources are common to nearly all college and university libraries, and can help you find answers about your ancestors:

• Histories
• Chronologies
• Bibliographies
• Biographical Directories
• Directories
• Newspapers
• Maps and Atlases
• State Codes and Law Reports
• Special Collections