Favorite Web Sites: Genealogy
The web sites featured this month have been critically evaluated
and selected by the IU Northwest librarians as well as a group of academic
and public librarians across the United States who compile a yearly Best
Free Reference Web Sites List for the American
Library Association. Here is a list of selection
criteria initially created by the MARS Best Free Websites Task
Force to choose these sites. The Library hopes our readers will
find these web sites useful for locating reliable, accurate and
authoritative information on the Internet.
Created in 2001, the American Family Immigration History Center (AFIHC)
site reports that it contains archival information on over "22 million
passengers and members of ships' crews [who] entered the United States
through Ellis Island and the Port of New York between 1892 and 1924." These
records can be accessed by clicking the "Passenger Search" area on the
site's home page and may be searched by name and gender. Results
may be edited to display close matches only, alternate spellings, or limited
by ethnicity, age, or year of arrival. This site also features a section
called "The Immigrant Experience" which chronicles the history of immigration
in America. Free registration is required, but the AFIHC's site is truly
a remarkable resource for genealogical research. (Summary used by permission
of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
This site, maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is
a well-known and important source for most genealogists. The cleanly designed
home page offers three search methods: Ancestor Search, which allows you to search
for a person's name; Keyword Search, a subject search on the Web and in the SourceGuide;
and Custom search, where you can limit your search to any of the specific files
offered. The site also provides a secure archive and links to mailing lists where
those researching the same family lines can discuss their research. For those
seeking further information, there is a directory of Family History Centers in
the United States and an online store offering helpful tools, publications, software,
and supplies. (Summary used by permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
RootsWeb.com, whose banner reads "the oldest and largest free online community
for genealogists," is made up of "extensive interactive guides and numerous research
tools for tracing family histories." The searcher can type in a name in the search
box or follow the link to "The World Connect Project," which contains more than
204 million ancestor names. Another search box is provided on the home page to
search records in Ancestor.com, a fee-based subscription site and the funder/supporter
of RootsWeb. The RootsWeb Surname List consists of a register of over one million
surnames submitted by more than 250,000 genealogists. This Web site is great
to offer to the beginning online genealogist who visits your library. (Summary
used by permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)
World Marketing Forecasts and Market Research Monitor Bring
the Most Recent International Marketing Data Online
The IU Northwest Library recently subscribed to World Marketing
Forecasts and Market Research Monitor both produced by
Euromonitor International.
World Marketing Forecasts features consumer market forecasts
to 2005 and socio-economic forecasts to 2013 from 71 countries. Over 330 consumer
products ranging from automotive products to tobacco and over 100 demographic,
lifestyle and economic indicators are covered. The resource's main menu allows
the user to perform a basic keyword search within text or one can view data
by specific product, socio-economic parameters, regions/countries or years.
To use World Marketing Forecasts from IU Northwest campus computers ONLY,
go to http://www.euromonitor.com/mrm/ .
Market Research Monitor provides high quality analysis of global
consumer markets and issues affecting them. This online database features over
1,000 reports which offer up-to-date market data and detailed company profiles
including market shares and brand information. The resource is updated monthly
with new reports. In addition, there is a library of 600 Major Market Profiles
which focus on industrial and service sectors in the United Kingdom, France,
Germany and the United States.
To access Market Research Monitor from IU Northwest campus computers ONLY,
go to www.euromonitor.com/mrm .
Literature Resource Center Joins the GaleNet Database Lineup
The IU Northwest Library recently added Literature Resource
Center to its Gale Group database subscription. This electronic database
provides access to biographies, critical analyses of authors and bibliographies
from every historical time period and literary discipline. Literature Resource
Center features over 120,000 novelists, essayists, poets and other writers along
with comprehensive, in-depth coverage of 2500 most researched authors.
At the database's main screen, users can search for specific author and title
information by typing keywords in the appropriate dialog box. The online service
also provides a literary-historical timeline as well as full-search access
to Gale's Encyclopedia of Literature. The database also spotlights
a different author such as A.A. Milne each day.
To search Literature Resource Center from IU Northwest campus computers ONLY,
go to www.galenet.com/servlet/LitRC?locID=iunw .
, Library News Web Editor |
