Once you 've combed the Web for your family history with Yahoo!, AltaVista, Google or another search site, you might think you 've found all there is to find. But you 'd be missing some of the most useful family history resources on the Internet: the online catalogs of your old offline friend, the library.

Web researchers might mistakenly assume that Internet search engines index items listed in online library catalogs. In fact, you must search each online catalog directly to identify specific items held by the library that might have answers to your genealogical mysteries.

Just like the old card catalogs in wooden file drawers, library catalogs on the Internet help you find books and other library materials. Now that many institutions have placed their catalogs online, you can easily learn what family history resources are available in libraries across the United States and other countries.