Many people either dislike going to a new repository or you go and miss important things you need because you didn’t realize they was there. The North Carolina Genealogical Society (NCGS) has solved those problems for you when you come to Raleigh for the NGS Family History Conference in May!

NCGS has created a FREE webinar to answer your questions: “How a Genealogist Uses the State Archives of NC and the State Library of NC” by Diane L. Richard, editor of the NCGS Journal. The webinar can be found on the NCGS website http://www.ncgenealogy.org/. Choose “Education & Events, then “Webinars” at the top of the home NCGS home page, then scroll down to “Public Webinars.”

Diane starts by showing the outside of the building and explains where to park your car (hint: it’s across the street) or where to catch the free R-Line. She then walks you into the building explaining the Check-In stop, then visits the state library before moving up to the archives. She explains what you need to do at each step and includes directions (turn left, etc.), where couches are so you can rest, where bathrooms are, which paper slip you complete to request items, how the library and archives are laid out, and the types of materials available. Multiple screen shots of searches in both locations help you find what you need and Diane also explains that many searches online can be done online before you get to Raleigh.

Watching this webinar is an hour well spent in preparation of your visit, especially if it is your first trip to Raleigh. Even for those who have been to the state library and archives a number of times, you might pick up something new from this webinar.

The conference will be held Wednesday through Saturday, 10-13 May 2017. The State Archives of North Carolina and the North Carolina Government and Heritage Library, which is part of the State Library of North Carolina, will have extended hours during the conference week. More information about the extended hours for both the archives and the library can be found in the NGS conference blog article, “North Carolina Government and Heritage Library.”