Top 10 Public Libraries         Honorable Collections         Off-Site Options           .         Ethnic Toolkits Web Exclusive Forms Bookstore Soundex Code Generator Resources Writing Workshops Newsletter		Top 10 Public Libraries By Rick Crume In these library collections, family history speaks volumes. Check out their roots riches in our roundup of the top 10 public libraries for genealogists. Family history probably wasn't on Andrew Carnegie's mind when he championed the creation of public libraries. But today, the local library system he helped create provides the means for millions of people to trace their family trees. Many public libraries now have dedicated genealogy or local history collections, making them an essential destination for every roots researcher. There you'll find not only books, but also rare manuscripts, genealogical journals, census records and CD-ROMs, all full of valuable information you won't find on the Internet. Some of those local libraries have gone above and beyond to develop incredible family history collections that draw genealogists from well outside their neighborhoods. The Allen County Public Library's genealogy collection has garnered a national reputation and attracts more than 100,000 researchers from across the country each year. But which other public libraries should you try hardest to work into your travel plans? (Of course, you don't need to go there in person to take advantage of these research treasure troves—see our Off-Site Options.) In an effort to identify the 10 best public libraries for genealogists, we weighed factors such as collection size, census records, special collections, accesibility, geographic coverage, special collections and services. The top ten public libraries are: Allen County Public Library Historical Genealogy Department 900 Webster St., Box 2270 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 (219) 421-1200 fax (219) 422-9686 www.acpl.lib.in.us cwitcher@acpl.lib.in.us Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research 5300 Caroline St. Houston, TX 77004 (832) 393-2600 www.hpl.lib.tx.us/clayton Birmingham Public Library Tutweiler Collection of Southern History and Literature 2100 Park Place Birmingham, AL 35203 (205) 226-3665 fax (205) 226-3663 www.bham.lib.al.us sou@bham.lib.al.us Dallas Public Library Genealogy Section 1515 Young St. Dallas, TX 75201 (214) 670-1424 dallaslibrary.org Denver Public Library Western History and Genealogy 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway, Denver, CO 80204 (720) 865-1821 gowest.coalliance.org/dpl/gene.html Detroit Public Library Burton Historical Collection 5201 Woodward Ave. Detroit, MI 48202 (313) 833-1480 www.detroit.lib.mi.us/burton dporemba@detroit.lib.mi.us Los Angeles Public Library History and Genealogy Department 630 W. Fifth St. Los Angeles, CA 90071 (213) 228-7400 fax (213) 228-7409 www.lapl.org/central/history.html history@lapl.org Mid-Continent Public Library Genealogy and Local History 317 W. 24 Highway Independence, MO 64050 (816) 252-7228 www.mcpl.lib.mo.us ge@mcpl.lib.mo.us The New York Public Library Humanities and Social Sciences Library Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, Room 121 Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street New York, NY 10018 (212) 930-0828 www.nypl.org/research/chss/lhg/genea.html histref@nypl.org Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County 800 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 369-6905 fax (513) 369-3123 www.cincinnatilibrary.org/info/main/hi For e-mail contact, see www.cincinnatilibrary.org/reference Contributing editor Rick Crume created the Genealogical Library Master Catalog at www.onelibrary.com, a CD-ROM set that lets you simultaneously search the catalogs of 18 major US libraries. For more on the top 10 public libraries, see the October 2002 issue of Family Tree Magazine.
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