FamilySearch access at Glasgow and West of Scotland FHS Library

I popped into the Glasgow and West of Scotland Family History Society's library centre in Partick on Thursday, my first time there in a few years, and certainly my first time as a member. The society's library is extensive, and it was definitely nice to see a few of my books there on sale (!), but the reason for popping in was to test out the new FamilySearch arrangement. The centre now acts as an affiliate library for the company, permitting access to digital records which are blocked from access to non-members when searching from home.

I was invited to sit down and to simply log in with my own laptop, although terminals can also be booked there. It is a very simple process, you simply log in using the centre's wifi and password, and then access your own FamilySearch account. I spent two hours there doing some personal research, looking at poor law records for Larne in County Antrim, and the 19th century burgh register of sasines for Perth, with accompanying index. When I go back again in the future, I think the only thing I would do different would be to bring along my own mouse, rather than using the tracker pad on my laptop, which is a bit fiddly when trying to work through FamilySearch digital microfilms!

The centre was incredibly busy, which was great to see. It is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 1pm-4pm, and you don't have to be a member to pop in, although membership does bring many additional benefits, including the society's journal!

For more on the society, visit https://www.gwsfhs.org.uk, and a huge thanks to the volunteers there who helped me to get set up!

Chris

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