Overview The North Carolina Room of the Henderson County Public Library provides a pleasant atmosphere for genealogical research. The growing collection, with emphasis on local and North Carolina materials, contains over 350 volumes including books and microfilm. The room is equipped with microfilm readers and computers. Volunteers from the Western North Carolina Society for Genealogical Research are available at times to help with research. Call the Library Reference Desk for more information.
Using the North Carolina Room for Genealogical Research The Main Genealogy Collection - When visiting the North Carolina Room for genealogical research you may want to begin by searching the collection through the online card catalog. The catalog will search throughout the library, including the
North Carolina Room, for revelant material. There is also a research guide located near the Genealogy PC, this contains a listing of the collection by topic and by format, either print or microfilm. Also included in the guide are listings of other local genealogy resources and useful internet sites. The print material in the North Carolina Room is divided into 4 sections: General Genealogy, North Carolina/Local Genealogy, Special Collections and Periodicals. The general genealogy material is found on the bookshelves A through H. North Carolina and Local Genealogy material is found on shelves J - K. The Special Collection is kept locked in the locked cases located towards the rear of the room, see the reference desk staff for access to them. Last, the periodicals are kept on the low shelves located at the back of the North Carolina room. The library is indebted both to the Western North Carolina Society of Genealogical Research and the Abraham Kuykendall Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution for their continued support.
Computers in the North Carolina Room - There are three PCs found in the North Carolina Room. The one found on the far end of the room is strictly for searching the online card catalog. The next one to the right of the catalog PC is the Genealogy PC. This has the internet accesss and is dedicated to genealogical research. Patrons can reserve this computer for a 90 minute session at the reference desk. Same day reservations may be phoned in to the reference desk but future reservations are not allowed. Printing is allowed, the cost is $.10 a page. The next computer to the right is dedicated to Family Treemaker. Patrons should be aware that all of the public computers in the library have access to the library's genealogy databases.
Microfilm - The Cabinet to the immediate right of the main entrance contains most of the library microfilm collection, some of which may be useful in genealogy research. There are three microfilm/microfiche readers in the North Carolina Room. All readers are capable of printing. The cost of printing is $.10 a page and is paid at the reference desk. The center machine is also able to digitize microfilm pages so that they can be saved and/or edited by a patron. Please see the reference desk staff for assistance in operating the readers.
Other Community Resources The Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society - The society is located downtown and has a significant collection of local and North Carolina material.
They can be found online at http://www.hcghs.com.
The Western North Carolina Society for Genealogical Research - WNCGSR meets at 10 am the fourth Saturday of every month in Kaplan Auditorium. There is also a WNCGSR computer interest group that meets at 10 am on the second Saturday of every month. For contact information check with the reference staff.
