[Genealib] ProQuest Obituaries

[MPL Genealogy]

ProQuest's Obituaries database we subscribed to in June only had the New
YorK Times and some of the Los Angeles Times.  They have added more
newspapers since then.  However, even with this service we had a patron
who immediately unraveled a family question.  While "costly" in the
beginning, I am finding it useful for historical research as well.  With
a fairly unique town name of "Muskogee," I have been able to type it in
and search for lost connections of former residents who have moved on.
One may, therefore, consider that this database is more useful than they
advertise.

Wally Waits
Muskogee Public Library
Local History/Genealogy Libn.
history at eok.lib.ok.us
918-682-6657 x257
 
"At most living memory endures for a hundred years or so.  Thereafter,
even the barest outline of the past is forgotten, unless it is recorded
in writing..."  John Morris in Londinium: London in the Roman Empire, p.
205.
 

-----Original Message-----
From: genealib-bounces at mailman.acomp.usf.edu
[mailto:genealib-bounces at mailman.acomp.usf.edu] On Behalf Of Kelly
Swartz
Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 8:06 AM
To: genealib at mailman.acomp.usf.edu
Subject: Re: [Genealib] Access Newspaper ARCHIVE through Heritage
Microfilm

Elaine (and others on the List):

Wow - this does look too good to be true. Is there a catch? I see that
they have a line on the request form that says "content within your
State and newspapers after 1977 are only available by upgrading your
service to Access NewspaperARCHIVE Pro". Does this mean that you will
need a "pay" subscription to get newspapers from your own State and for
after 1977 for all papers?  Has anyone else had this subscription and/or
the upgrade? 

I was looking seriously at ProQuest's new Obituary Index database,
which is quite costly. Maybe this is something we should look into
instead?  Does anyone know for sure if there are obituaries on this
"free" database by Heritage Microfilm? 

Kelly Swartz

Kelly Swartz
Local History & Genealogy Collection
Public Libraries of Saginaw
505 Janes Ave.
Saginaw, MI   48607
(989)  755-9827

>>> ehayes at lclsonline.org 8/3/2006 5:58 pm >>>
Our library recieved an advertisement from Heritage Microfilm
regarding
FREE access to a database called Access Newspaper ARCHIVE to public
libraries and K-12 schools.  The letter says that the ARCHIVE "allows
your library's patrons to search tens of millions of newspaper pages
in
our achive for FREE"  and that it "provides... Full-page newspapers
from
1759-1977".  This sounds too good to be true.  Do any of you have
familiarity with this product?  Also if you are interested you can
check
it out at http://access.newspaperarchive.com.  I suspect that the
newspapers and not "full text" and probably only include historic
information and not obituaries (except of the famous) or information
about the daily lives of people who might have been our ancestors
(unless they were famous).  In which case it might be great for
general
reference but not so good for Genealogy information.  Also is there
some
kind of a "catch" involved - nothing is ever really free is it?
Thanks,
Elaine Hayes
 
Elaine Jones Hayes
Special Collections Librarian
Laramie County Library System
2800 Central Avenue
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001
ehayes at lclsonline.org 
307-634-3561
 
"Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment
 of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment."
-  Library Bill of Rights
 
 
 

 
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