LIBRARY EXPANDS

GENEALOGY COLLECTION

The Paris-Bourbon County Public Library is pleased to announce a growing collection of genealogy books and microfilm, in addition to the recent purchase of a new digital microfilm viewer/scanner. 

Send us a query? Well, maybe...

The library provides many resources for your use in performing research on our premises and through our web site. We do receive a large volume of genealogy-related queries and simply cannot perform general research for your specific query; library staff and volunteer time for this purpose is extremely limited. A simple microfilm lookup, given a complete date or specific details, MAY be available IF you can provide enough information for us to go directly to the item in question.

E-mail and written genealogical queries will be referred to staff or a volunteer for handling as time permits; due to other workloads and time constraints, please allow at least 7-14 days for a response. Unfortunately, telephone queries and consultations cannot be supported - please do NOT telephone the library with genealogy-related queries.) 

If you are looking for a local researcher or someone to talk to about family lines in the area, please contact the local genealogical society - see our main genealogy page.

Still want to send us a query?
PLEASE NOTE QUERY GUIDELINES.

The library’s web site contains links to a wealth of historical and genealogical resources; it also offers valuable access for library cardholders to powerful online databases containing census, birth, marriage, death, immigration and military records and much more. In-house, the library’s rapidly growing microfilm collection includes thousands of old documents that have been scanned and stored on film, including local newspapers, census data, wills, vital statistics records, Kentucky death certificates, tax assessment books, deeds, marriage records, and more. Some items date back as far as 1787; many were hard to view and/or nearly illegible when printed using the old microfilm equipment at the library.

A new ST200 Digital Microfilm Viewer/Scanner by S-T Imaging was recently purchased with the assistance of Friends of the Paris-Bourbon County Library, a non-profit group that supports the library by conducting fundraisers such as used book sales. The new viewer/scanner offers incredible film scans at up to 2700 dpi, while keeping file sizes small enough to handle. View, zoom, crop, flip, scan, print, or save scans to a disk or USB thumb drive (for later e-mailing or burning to CD)… whatever you view, you can print or save using the attached computer with easy-to-use "ScanWrite" software. Featuring exceptionally clear images for on-screen viewing, automatic focus, instant zooming and printing, positive/negative reversal and more, the new machine will even scan directly from 35mm film and slides. Library staffer and genealogy enthusiast Susan Eades is thrilled with the new equipment. She said, “It’s very easy to use, the scan quality is great, and people really like taking the images home on a USB drive instead of having to print on paper.”

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QUERY GUIDELINES:

Please note that microfilm searches can be performed for you ONLY IF the search falls within the topics contained on our film (see list on main genealogy page) AND you can supply exact details for the search (just name and year is not sufficient). For example:

•  Seeking a will and/or newspaper obit for John J. Doe who died in Bourbon County on December 12, 1804.
  -- YES; we will check our records for this specific name and date and send you a copy of any documents we find. There is no charge for a single response.

• Seeking information about an ancestor, John Doe, who was born (or lived) in Bourbon County in 1830.
  -- NO; this is too vague and may require extensive searching. You are invited to come to the library and sift through the available materials in person or consult with the volunteer researcher. If that is not possible, you may want to check with local groups to find other assistance (see main genealogy page).

• Submit your detailed query online (or write to us at the address at the top of the page), and remember to provide your return e-mail address AND physical mailing address. Your request will be handled as soon as possible, but remember to allow at least two weeks for a response. 

Back to Main Genealogy Page