TCCL News & Events

Share your family’s heritage with future generations by researching your roots and creating a family tree. Join Tulsa City-County Library’s Genealogy Center in July at its annual “Family History Month” series featuring a variety of programs for new genealogy researchers as well as lifetime enthusiasts.

Family History Month programs are free and open to the public. The programs are sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust.

• Beginning Genealogy Workshop, July 7, 6-8:30 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 E. 93rd St. – Genealogy librarian Kathy Huber will show you how to start researching your family history and how local, state and federal records can assist you.
• Tulsa Area Genealogy Libraries, July 9, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library – Discover the useful resources and hidden treasures in genealogy libraries located in the Tulsa area. Join representatives from the Oklahoma Historical Society, Muskogee Public Library and the Tulsa Genealogical Society for an overview of their collections.
• Getting the Most Out of FamilySearch, July 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library – Barbara Becker Meehan, certified genealogist, explains the ins and outs of this extensive, free resource for genealogists.
• The Historical Map Collections at OSU, July 14, 7-8:30 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library – Historical maps are an important tool for family researchers. Over the years, federal and state agencies have created various types of maps to aid them in their work. The Edmon Low Library at OSU maintains a large collection of these historical maps. Join John Phillips, head of the OSU documents department, and his wife, Vicki Phillips, head of the science and engineering division at the Edmon Low Library, and discover what they are doing to make these maps more accessible to researchers.
• Unraveling Interlibrary Loan, July 16, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue – What’s next if you’ve exhausted the local resources at Tulsa City-County Library including the genealogy collection? Join Pam Reagan, Interlibrary Loan supervisor, and find out how to set up an account, types of material we may be able to locate and what constitutes a searchable request.
• Exploring the Local History Collection, July 16, 10:45-11:45 a.m., Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue – Join history librarian Sheri Perkins and learn how the library’s Local History Collection can help family researchers.
• Research Center Open House, July 16, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., Central Library, Research Center – Take an informal tour of the Research Center. Staff will answer questions about the special research collections of interest to family historians.
• Using Government Documents to Locate Civil War Ancestors, July 16, 1:15-2:15 p.m., Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium – Government documents librarian Robbie Sittel will show you how to use government documents to discover your family’s Civil War connections.
• Using Social Media for Genealogy and Family History, July 16, 2:30-4:30 p.m., Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium – Learn what social media is and how to use it, and get an introduction to social media sites that can help family historians communicate, share and collaborate with other family historians and with their own families. This class will cover new ways to communicate, such as Facebook and Twitter; sites for sharing family trees, such as Ancestry and MyHeritage; sites for sharing photos and videos, such as Picasa and YouTube; and more!
• The 1940 Census: Coming Soon, July 19, 7-8 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library – The 1940 Census will be released on April 2, 2012. Genealogy librarian Kathy Huber will show you what you need to do to get ready for its release.
• Oklahoma’s Attic: Discovering the Resources at the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, July 23, 10-11:30 a.m., Hardesty Regional Library – The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) serves as the official state library of Oklahoma and maintains the archives for all Oklahoma state agencies. Join Jan Davis, ODL’s administrative archivist, for a peek inside Oklahoma’s attic and discover the genealogical and historical resources that reside there.
• How Do You Know? Understanding Evidence and Source Citation, July 23, 1-2:30 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library – Barbara Becker Meehan, certified genealogist, will show you how to use evidence to verify what you find and to ensure that your conclusions are sound.
• Genealogy Using DNA: First Steps, July 23, 2:45-4:15 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library – Barbara Becker Meehan, certified genealogist, will discuss DNA testing for genealogy, how it works and how it should help you discover more about your ancestors.
• Blogging Your Family History, July 26, 7-8:30 p.m., Zarrow Regional Library, 2224 W. 51st St. – Learn the benefits of genealogy blogs and how to create your own free genealogy blog. Join genealogy blogger Nancy Shively for this fun and informative program.
• Locating Civil War Records on Ancestry Library Edition, July 28, 7-8:30 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library – In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Ancestry Library Edition has added several new databases. Join Liz Walker, Genealogy Center associate, for an overview of these new databases as well as some of Ancestry’s other new features.
• Genealogy Workshop With Mark Lowe, July 30, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library – Join popular lecturer and certified genealogist Mark Lowe for this all-day workshop. Topics include: "The Migration Triangle: Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee,” "Outlaws in the Family: Using Criminal Records in Your Research,” "Finding Uncle John by Talking to the Neighbors" and "Behind the Scenes – Who Do You Think You Are?" Lowe makes learning fun as he shares his research expertise, knowledge and experience.
• Is It Really Online? Finding and Using Original Sources at Home or the Library, July 31, 1:30-4:30 p.m., Hardesty Regional Library – Take advantage of new online resources while developing your research skills. Mark Lowe, certified genealogist, will demonstrate simple techniques that can improve your methodology and accomplishment.

After attending these programs, stop by Tulsa City-County Library’s Genealogy Center to get started on your research. The center has one of the largest genealogical collections in Oklahoma. Plus, it is designated as an official FamilySearch Center, enabling it to borrow resources from the largest genealogy collection in the world – the Family History Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information about Family History Month programming or the Genealogy Center, call 918-549-7691 or visit http://tulsalibrary.org/genealogy.