Maple Valley Washington FamilySearch Center

= Center Contacts and Hours =

Location &amp; Map:


 * Address: 26800 Southeast 236th Street, MAPLE VALLEY, WASHINGTON
 * Our Center is right off the "Four Corners" interchange on Mapel Valley Highway heading East toward Black Diamond and Enemclaw. At the intersection turn right onto Kent Kangley Road toward Covington and right onto the first residental street (approx. 1000 feet).  Large LDS
 * Location on Map

Phone: 425 413-7566

E-mail: carlrigtrup@gmail.com

Open Hours:


 * Wednesday: 10am to 4 pm and 7pm to 9 pm
 * Thursday: 10 to 1 pm
 * Saturday: 10 am to 1 pm

Holiday Schedule: Closed Wednesday before Christmas til Tuesday after New Years but can call for special appointments

Upcoming Events
January 8 2013 Staff Training

Staff Training Meetings Second Tuesday of each month at Center 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
First staff training of 2013   Will be an introduction to what we want to accomplish from a Center standpoint this coming year. This is my responsibliy and I have been very lapse in this regard. However new year new beginning right? I would like to engage each of us in a number of things which we will be exploring in future staff meetings.. But this will give us a start with a heads up of thing to come:


 * Visiting the Wiki web site for our Center how to get to it and see upcoming events - you can also edit so dive in.
 * Using the LDS Blog found on the FamilySearch website. Register if you have not and log on - will give some quick remedial training in using it. It is not self intuitive.
 * What is our role as Family History Center Consultants ? Do we just staff, or train and in what catagory do we actively participate in the Patron learning experience.



Center Resources
Ordering Microfilm

The Family History Library Catalog is available online add link , and can be searched by place name, family surname, resource title, author, subject, call number, film number or key word. GET NUMBERS Click the down arrow at the end of the Search field to select the category of information you wish to search. If you find a film you’d like to view, you can order that film using the on-line film ordering right from your browser.

There is a small fee ($7.50) for film for two (2) period and ($.50 for microfiche - which are not returned. That helps defray the cost of shipping. There is no charge to view films from the Center’s “ Resident Film Collection .” We offer access to printers and digital scanners for printing and copying to CD or ZIP drive.

Microfilms are typically available at the center for 60 days. Films can become “extended” status films and be made available at that center indefinitely. For more specific information about film ordering, ask a staff member at your local Family History Center. You need to log onto familysearch.org and designate your home "Family History Center".

All microfilm and microfiche must be viewed at the Family History Center where they were ordered. They cannot be transferred to another Family History Center or viewed at another location.

Collections

 * Family History Library Catalog:; This center has the ability to order any of the films and fiche available through the Family History Library Catalog (approx 2.5 million films and untold number of microfiche).


 * We have approximatly 500 microfilms in our cabinet and an untold number (actually about 21 inches) of microfiche including the 1881 Scotland, England and Wales Census. Some of our patrons are doing active research in Italy and Baltic area. Lot of bi-lingual conversations going on - I listen (but do not participate) welcome your presence and participation in the activity.
 * We have gone cash-less with the advent of on-line film ordering.

Databases and Software

 * FHC Portal: Portal page which gives free access at the Center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.
 * Subscriptions available through the LDS FHC Portal


 * 1) Ancestry.com
 * 2) FOLD3 (previously Footnotes)
 * 3) The Genealogist
 * 4) Heritage Quest
 * 5) Alexander Street Press The American Civil War
 * 6) Arkiv Digital On-line
 * 7) World Vital Records
 * 8) Paper Trail
 * 9) Historical Maps


 * Software Available on Center PC's  If you want to bring your program GEDCOM on a zip drive and load and use in the Center or get further training you can do that.. But remember to take your updated copy (GEDCOM) home with you to your PC.


 * 1) Ancestral Quest
 * 2) Family Insight
 * 3) GenLines
 * 4) Get My Ancestors
 * 5) Magic Key Family Tree
 * 6) Rootsmagic 6.0
 * 7) Legacy
 * 8) PAF 5.0

Hardware and Equipment

 * We currently have six computers connected to the internet and WIFI is available for lap top or CAT5 connection. We currently are connected through Dish but will be upgrading to Comcast near term. We have five microfilm readers, two microfiche readers and a Canon 300 film scanner attached to a PC for saving film images. It gets a lot of use, bring a zip drive for off line storage though CD's can be burned. at no cost.

Staff Research Specialties
(Include sections for any other services your center provides. Add additional sections for those services. 

Resources in the Local Area
Local Resources for that you should also consider if doing personal research inSouth King County'''.


 * South King County Library. (Located in Auburn Wa) http://www.kcls.org
 * Bellevue City Library http://www.kcls.org/bellevue/
 * Seattle Public Library http://www.spl.org/
 * Tacoma Public LIbrary (Pierce County) http://www.tpl.lib.wa.us/Default.aspx
 * Tahoma National Cemetery (located in Covington) http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/tahoma.asp
 * Fiske LIbrary (Seattle)  http://www.fiskelibrary.org
 * South King County Genealogical LIbrary http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~waskcgs/
 * Eastside Genealogical Library (meets at Bellevue Library) http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wakcegs/

Links
Web based Family Hisotry Training.

As you may not be aware most of the major Family History Genealogy programs have embrased Webinar as a traiing medium. The Center does not approve an given genealogy program. but the training provided by these sites can be invaluable.

Volunteer at the Center
We are always looking for new volenteers to support our patron needs, regardless of skills and talents - we can use you and will give you invaluable time to become trained in what our center provides. Give me a call Carl Rigtrup 425 271-1614 or carlrigtrup@gmail.com.