Adults

Family History Month with Ancestry.com

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October is Family History Month, which makes it the perfect time to begin researching your family’s heritage using Ancestry.com. 

The database, available for in-library use, allows users to search census records, birth, marriage & death records, military records, newspapers, and other documents. There are billions of records available to search from all over the world. 

To get started, click Begin Searching, then enter in as much information as you can about your relative. 

The results will return a variety of formats, and numerous results that meet the criteria that you entered.

If the results that appear are not what you’re looking for, you can narrow down your search by using the filters along the side. These allow you to specify the document type that you are interested in, the location of the record(s), and the date that the records are from.

Some records have a family tree attached to them which can lead to other family members. This is not available for all records. Ancestry does allow for some documents to be printed, such as family trees and Census records. For others, printing of the original document is not available, instead users can get a print out of the information that was featured on the document.

Happy searching!

Erin, Bridgeville Public Library

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Gale LegalForms

Have you ever had a patron inquire about legal forms? Well, there’s a database for that! Gale LegalForms connects patrons to the Pennsylvania Legal Form Library and offers access to a wide variety of templates.

front page of Pennsylvania Legal form library

Patrons can browse by category or search for a specific form needed, and all forms are easily available and specific to Pennsylvania. For most topics, there are also multiple forms to choose from, allowing patrons to find the one that best suits their needs. The documents come in MS Word format, allowing patrons to easily edit them. Best of all, there are no fees!

Erin Weaver, Bridgeville Public Library

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RAD Pass: Summer Staycation

Summer is almost here, which means graduation season and the end of the school year. If your library is like mine, this is when the phone starts ringing with questions like: “What’s this RAD Pass thing?” 

Here’s what you need to know to help your patrons: 

What is RAD Pass? 

RAD Pass (found at radpass.org) offers free and discounted tickets to a variety of regional attractions, thanks to support from the Allegheny Regional Asset District. It’s available to any Allegheny County resident with a valid library card and PIN. 

How Does It Work? 

Patrons can log in using their card number and PIN. Once logged in, they’ll see a list of available attractions. Venues and tickets change periodically, so encourage patrons to check back often. 

If tickets are available for an attraction, a message on the right side will say “Show first available offer.” If not, it will display “All reservations have been reserved at this time.” 

To reserve a pass, click “Show first available offer.” The pass details and requirements (e.g., mobile or printed format) will be listed. If the patron prefers a different date than the default, they can scroll to the bottom and click “Reserve a different date” to choose from the available options. 

Important Notes for Patrons: 

  • Patrons may only reserve a pass to the same attraction once per calendar year.
  • Each library card may hold up to two active reservations at a time. Once the date of the earliest reservation passes, a new reservation can be made.
  • Ticket availability refreshes often, so checking back regularly is a good idea.

-Erin, Bridgeville Public Library

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Beyond Mango

We all know Mango Languages is fantastic. If you don’t, you can get up to speed here. But did you know about our other language learning tools? 

Let’s say you want to learn some Greek, so you head over to Pimsleur, a trusted name in quick and impactful language instruction for over 60 years. The Greek program alone is $19.95 a month! The Pimsleur method is effective, of course, but you’re going to be spending more than $20 getting the hang of the language. 

If you are set on Pimsleur, you can head over to Hoopla, where “each lesson provides 30 minutes of spoken language practice, with an introductory conversation, and new vocabulary and structures.”

In fact, Hoopla has a fantastic array of Pimsleur options, including English instruction for native speakers of a variety of other languages (English for Arabic speakers, English for Norwegian speakers, etc). 

You don’t have to limit yourself to Mr. Pimsleur, either! Hoopla has lots of options for audiobook language learning.

And it’s not just Hoopla. And it’s not just Greek! You can find similar content in our Libby collection. 

You can also head over to Udemy for language instruction!  

Whether you want to brush up on a new language in time for an upcoming vacation, or you have new neighbors who speak a language new to you, there are so many ways our eResources can support your language learning goals.  

-Mary, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh 

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