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SOC 250H: Community Forces in Hawaii (Bopp): Ancestry (Library Edition)

Overview

Aloha!  This Libguide supports Professor Bopp’s SOC 250H class. The information and links in this guide will assist you with your research using Ancestry Library Edition (ALE), one of the most important genealogical collections available today. Features include access to charts, forms, and other tools that will help you track your research.

Tips on doing research using Leeward CC Library resources are included as well as links to relevant online and print resources. For specific information for genealogy research in Hawaii, please see the Conducting Genealogy Research in Hawaiʻi LibGuide. If you have questions about any of the topics contained in this LibGuide (e.g. Ancestry Library Edition, accessing Library resources), please feel free to contact Junie (junie@hawaii.edu).

Where To Access Ancestry Library Edition

Search Tips When Using Ancestry Library Edition

  1. Come with as much information as possible
    • Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) has thousands of databases and billions of indexed names!  In order to get the most relevant, useful results -- and to make sure you aren't overwhelmed by hundreds or thousands of irrelevant results -- you'll already want to know a few critical pieces of information (e.g. name, birth, marriage, death dates) before you start searching in ALE.  Hopefully you'll have gathered some information from your Oral History Interviews!
  2. Start small, then go big
    • Add as much information as possible to your initial search.  The more information you include in your search, the more likely you are to get relevant results.  However, the more information you add, the fewer results you will probably retrieve.  So, if (after using a number of different pieces of information in your search) you end up with, say, less than 10 results, try removing pieces, one at a time.  By removing pieces of information (e.g. a name, date, or location) from your search, you'll likely increase your number of results.  Keep in mind, though, that this may also retrieve a few results that won't match the person you're looking for.
  3. Use the sliders
    • Once you've conducted a search and are looking at the results page, take a second to look around the entire page - don't just look at the results.  On the left hand sidebar, you'll find a lot of helpful tools, including sliders.  The sliders will help you narrow or expand your search.
  4. Be patient, have fun
    • Historical research turns up fascinating new discoveries, and genealogical research means those discoveries are even more impactful for you, so enjoy the process!

Getting Started with Ancestry Library Edition (ALE)

In this short video, learn how to start your genealogy search using Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) through the Library website.

More Information About Ancestry Library Edition