Amateur sleuths hoping to trace their family history will soon find valuable clues in their local library thanks to a brand new internet service.
For as little as 50p, family history hunters who visit any Cumbrian library from 2 January 2007 will be able to search name-indexed census information from 1841 to 1901 which would normally cost £70 to access through a private subscription.
Thanks to a special licensing arrangement between Cumbria County Council and Ancestry.co.uk - Britain’s largest family history website - library members in Cumbria will soon be able to uncover valuable facts about their forebears' lives and times including hand-written census, birth, marriage and death records.
The service has been already been piloted in Carlisle Library where it has proven a big hit with borrowers.
For 19th Century celebrity watchers, the great and the good are also featured along with the general public as they appeared on the night of 6 June 1841.
The young Queen Victoria is at home with Prince Albert in Buckingham Palace and the 29-year-old Charles Dickens, whose Barnaby Rudge was being serialised at the time, is with his wife and children in London's Devonshire Terrace.
Councillor Roger Bingham, Cabinet member responsible for library services says most people seeking information on their ancestry are keen to find out how they can do it themselves. “The new service is a great way for Cumbrian library users to delve into their past for a fraction of the normal cost,” he said.
Councillor Bingham continued: “The internet has boosted access to ancestral information in a way that was unthinkable just a few years ago. By offering this new service in Cumbria’s libraries, we can open up opportunities for more people than ever before to explore their roots.”
People can access internet services in Cumbria’s libraries for as little as 50p for 15 minutes surfing. In addition to this, a full range of concessions applies with under 19s, people aged over 60, full-time students, people on low incomes and people with disabilities all entitled to up to 1 hour of free internet access each day.
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Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228-606337