In honor of our nation's First Peoples, President Obama has proclaimed November as National Native American Month. There are a variety of excellent resources to begin researching your Native heritage: How Do I Trace Indian Ancestry?, Online Native American Genealogy, Index of Native American Resources on the Internet, and Native American-Indian Genealogy.

Hispanic Heritage Month is observed September 15-October 15. Discover your Hispanic ancestors with help from SHHAR and Cyndi's List.

Fall's the perfect time to get started exploring your family tree with free genealogy classes at the library! Register online or in person, or call your local library.

Learn more about our local history with links from the library's newly expanded Minnesota Regional Genealogy listings and with these free library programs:

Researching the History of a House, Building, Neighborhood or Piece of Land in Minneapolis - Sept 8 from 6-7:30 pm - register online or call 612-630-6000.

Authors Talk: Patriots of Brooklyn - Sept 14 at 6:30 pm - no registration required.
Genealogy and history combine in these stories about men from Osseo and the Brooklyn Township who served in the Civil War.

You, like many researchers may have had your interest in genealogy triggered by a special photo or letter or steamer trunk.  How should you preserve these artifacts?  Fortunately there are a number of good resources available to you.  Helpful websites include the National Archives: Caring for Your Family Archives , the Library of Congress Preparing, Protecting, Preserving Family Treasures  and Cyndi's List Preservation & Conservation. To locate useful books in the HCL catalog- for photographs and books add the keyword terms "conservation restoration manuals" for paper add the word "preservation" and for wooden objects use the word "furniture repairing"

The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries http://www.newberry.org/ahcbp/index.html  is a useful tool for those seeking records of past events, trying to interpret historical data, or working on state and local history. Counties have been the principal geographic units for collection of materials including records of births, marriages, deaths, probated wills, real estate transfers and voting. Knowing the county name and its boundaries at specific points in time can be very significant. For the state of Minnesota, the county boundaries are mapped from 1778 to 2000. The ability to layer modern boundaries and names over historic ones, change the date of the map, zoom-in and zoom-out and measure distances between two locations are some of the useful features of the database.

 " A genealogist is not eccentric, she has just lost her census!"  Deciphering  census abbreviations for occupations and relationships can be frustrating, although  strict instructions were given  to each enumerator. Individual enumerator inventiveness and language issues can still cause problems for modern family researchers.

Not sure how to begin your genealogical research? The Wolverhampton Archives has an excellent online tutorial that will help get you started on your family tree.

Sign up for one of the many free genealogy classes, and learn how to access online family history resources including census and immigration records using online resources such as Ancestry Plus and HeritageQuest.

A fun way to introduce your kids to genealogy and Valentine's Day at the same is to create a Family Love History Project. You can use it for a webpage, family scrapbook, picture frame or valentine! Create your own list of family questions, or try this sample questionnaire.

Here are some great sites to help you move beyond beginning genealogy.  Check for photos on Dead Fred, family farm histories on the  Minnesota Century Farm Database or explore the diverse links on Olive Tree Genealogy & as always "use it before you lose it" (because free websites can start charging!)

¿Buscar para sus antepasados hispanos? Hay algunos recursos muy útiles aquí. 
Somos Primos, Anillo de Genealogía Hispana y CyndisList: Hispanic, central & South America...

Minnesota and Wisconsin have many rich sources of genealogical information. Besides the Minnesota Historical Society, there is the Germanic Genealogical Society Library,  the Norwegian American Historical Association and much more!

Start your family search with SSHAR (Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research), a very helpful resource for Latino genealogy. You can also learn more about Hispanic culture by attending one of the many free events at the Hennepin County libraries, many of which are family-friendly!

Researching a criminal ancestor who was captured,  prosecuted and made to pay a "debt to society," can be a fascinating experience.  Check out Black Sheep Ancestors or join the Order of Descendants of Pirates and Privateers  More and more, historical police, prison and court records can be found online,  so try adding an "outlaw" chapter to your family history today!

Planning a family reunion this summer?  A reunion can provide a wonderful opportunity to investigate family relationships, record an oral history or to start a family association or newsletter.  Let your family reunion expand your genealogical horizons!

Are you researching your "family tree"? Several classes scheduled this month and next for beginning to intermediate researchers will teach how to access historical records and online resources.

Wondering what to get Dad? Why not frame and print one of three choices for family trees, which go back four generations? Our Getting Started section can help you fill in the blanks of your family history.

May is Asian-Pacific Heritage Month, Minnesota Native American Month, Jewish-American Heritage Month, and Cinco De Mayo! Explore your diverse ancestors with our multicultural resources.

Exploring this growing field can help you create a medical family tree, understand ethnicity & inherited disease and determine your DNA heritage & ancient roots!

Check out Cyndi's List of resources on female ancestors to help you in research those ellusive women you cannot find in standard records!

Since 1926, February has been dedicated to Black History Month. Discover your African American heritage and attend one of the library's free events to celebrate African American history and culture!

Was your ancestor a Home Child? These poor and orphaned youth were shipped from Britain to labor in Canada, often separated from sibilings. Use the Home Children pages from the Libraries and Archives of Canada to search for Children's names, dates of arrival and more.

Use About.com's Genealogy for tips on creating family scrapbooks, heritage ornaments and other genealogy gifts.  Or check out Software and Novelties on Cyndislist for the latest genealogy gadgets and products.

Researching World War II relatives this Veteran's Day?  Check out the 
WW II Army Enlistment Records, the WW II war casualty lists and much more from the National Archives

There are still some openings in the Genealogy Research Using Vital Records classes at the Brookdale Library. Hurry, they are filling up fast!