First, a bit about the database from the Alexander St. Press Web Site:

Produced in partnership with Arcadia Publishing, Local and Regional History Online: A History of American Life in Images and Texts includes more than 150,000 images—it will continue to grow to include thousands of Arcadia volumes and more than one million photographs and other primary materials. Each Arcadia book tells a small piece of American history, but when searched together, the collection becomes a massive and powerful primary-source research tool for academic libraries, and a great way to bring local history and genealogical information into the public library.

To Access the Database Simply Enter:

Username: reviewer
Password: 69preventative2

in the appropriate boxes.

This trial is through July 31, 2009.

Thanks to Alexander Street Press for making it available.

From an Announcement:

The complete 1911 census records for people living in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are now online at 1911census.co.uk, including full details of British Army personnel and their families stationed overseas.

On completion of the project, Debra Chatfield, Marketing Manager at findmypast.com which has developed the 1911census.co.uk website service in association with The National Archives, said: ‘We’re delighted that the final records have been uploaded from the 1911 census including the military records and the records for Wales, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands. We hope many generations will gain a huge amount of valuable information about their ancestors by consulting the records and that they’ll discover new chapters of their family history that they previously knew very little or nothing about.’

Source: National Archives (UK)

From the Announcement:

Digital versions of the original Registration District maps from the 1871 census (Catalogue reference RG 18/1-110) are now available to browse and download at cassinimaps.co.uk.

The maps are based on the Ordnance Survey ‘Old Series’ but were hand annotated to show the Registration Districts of England and Wales as they existed then. This additional hand-drawn information makes the maps a vital resource to family and local historians, as well as offering a fascinating geo-political snapshot of how England and Wales were administered at the time of the 1871 census.

Cassini used scanned images of the originals that were then digitally stitched together to create a seamless mosaic of mapping. The maps are free to view online and you can search by postcode, place name, parish and district name. There is a charge to download the maps.

Source: National Archives (UK)

The ceremony mentioned below is scheduled to take place tomorrow at the National Archives in Washington, DC.

From the Announcement:

A joint signing ceremony between the National Archives and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the National Archives will designate as permanent the immigration files created on the millions of aliens residing in the United States in 1944, as well as those arriving since then. These Alien Case Files (commonly referred to as A-Files) document the famous, the infamous, the anonymous and the well-known, and are an historical and genealogical goldmine. The new agreement authorizes the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services/Department of Homeland Security to send A-files to the National Archives when 100 years have passed since the birthdate of the subject of a file. The National Archives expects to receive the first transfer of A-files later this year, and will store the files at National Archives facilities in San Francisco and Kansas City. Researchers will be able to access the files at these two sites, or request copies of files. An index will be available to support research use.

Source: NARA

From the Summary:

Paul Connor, reference specialist in the Local History & Genealogy Reading Room, draws on the Library’s extensive resources in Amish Studies to discuss the unique history and culture of Amish Americans.

Direct to Video
The video runs 12 minutes.

Source: LC

From the Kable’s Article:

ScotlandsPeople, which makes a charge for detailed search results, already contains birth and marriage records from the old parish registers kept by the Church of Scotland for 300 years before civil registration began in 1855.

On 1 April the site added records of deaths from the same sources, which parishes were required to provide to the creation of Scotland’s Registrar General in 1855. It now holds records for births, marriages and deaths from 1553, along with census records from 1841 to 1901, wills and testaments from 1513 to 1901 and coats of arms from 1672 to 1907.

Source: Kable’s Government Computing

A five page brochure (PDF) details the tools and records NARA makes available.

Direct to Brochure

Source: National Archives and Records Administration

From the Web Site:

This website is a portal to various resources on Irish heritage and culture available at Library and Archives Canada and elsewhere on the World Wide Web. It is also your guide to festival activities happening at Library and Archives Canada.

Source: LAC

From the Article:

New Zealand’s Ministry of Internal Affairs announced today the launch of a new Web site that offers online access to New Zealand’s historical birth, death and marriage records. To protect the privacy of living people, the following historic data is available:

* Births that occurred at least 100 years ago
* Stillbirths that occurred at least 50 years ago
* Marriages that occurred at least 80 years ago
* Deaths that occurred at least 50 years ago, or the deceased’s date of birth was at least 80 years ago

Searches are free, and certificates can either be purchased as a digital image to be downloaded immediately, or as a paper certificate sent through the mail.

Direct to Database

Source: About.com

A selection of print and web-based resources. You’ll also find a video from Paul Connor, Reference Specialist in the Local History & Genealogy Reading Room.

Direct to Collection

Source: Library of Congress

From the Announcement:

The 1891 Census offers a rich source of information about Canada and Canadians. Through this research tool, you can access digitized images of original census returns which list the name, age, country or province of birth, nationality, religion, and occupation of Canada’s residents at the time of the 1891 Census. Library and Archives Canada gratefully acknowledges the contribution of Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca) without which this project would not have been possible.

Source: Library and Archives Canada

Direct links to ALL of the results from following surveys can be found here.

+ 2008 Library Vocabulary Results

+ Ready Reference Core Tools (Multi-Subject)

+ Collection Development Core Tools

+ Government Documents Core Reference Tools

+ Arts & Humanities ‘Core’ or Essential Reference Tools

+ Bio-Sciences (non-medical**)’Core’ or Essential Reference Tools

+ Business ‘Core’ or Essential Reference Tools

+ Consumer Health and Medical ‘Core’ or Essential Reference Tools

+ Professional* Health and Medical Reference Core Reference Tools

+ Physical and Earth Sciences ‘Core’ or Essential Reference Tool

+ Education and Homework Research ‘Core’ or Essential Reference Tools

+ Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics ‘Core’ or Essential Reference Tool

+ Genealogy ‘Core’ or Essential Reference Tools

+ Legal ‘Core’ or Essential Reference Tools

+ Social Sciences ‘Core’ or Essential Reference Tools

Source: Diane Kovacs

From the Article:

New information about the history of African Americans is now available in an online database, thanks to the State Library of North Carolina.

Information from the book “An Era of Progress and Promise,” written in 1910 by W.N. Hartshorn, details the early African American schools, churches, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and other institutions. This information is new part of the Digital Repositories online.

Source: WNCT

See Also: “An Era of Progress and Promise”: African American History Online

From the Article:

A new online database of medical records is offering a glimpse into the difficult lives of chronically ill children during the Victoria and Edwardian eras.

Around 10,000 records of admissions to Great Ormond Street Hospital’s (GOSH) Cromwell House convalescent home in north London have been added to the Small and Special website which already features 84,000 records of young GOSH patients.

Direct to Database

Source: The Independent (U.K.)

From the news release:

Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce that its partner, the National Archives of Ireland, has launched the next important phase of an online census research tool for the Irish counties of Antrim, Kerry, and Down for 1911. The census records for all counties for 1911 and for 1901 will be made available online throughout 2009.

Library and Archives Canada signed an agreement with the National Archives of Ireland in December 2005 and the two institutions have been working to make the censuses of Ireland for 1901 and 1911 accessible online, free of charge. Library and Archives Canada’s contribution included digitizing microfilm reels, linking images to the database and making the records searchable by name.

Direct to Web Site

See Also: Canadian Genealogy Centre

See Also: Irish Census Online and the virtual exhibition on life in Ireland in 1911 (via National Archives Ireland)

Source: Library and Archives Canada