Bangor Maine FamilySearch Center

The Bangor Family History Center serves Bangor, Maine, and surrounding areas, and is open to the public with no admission charge.

Center Contacts and Hours
Location and Map:


 * 639 Grandview Avenue, Bangor, Maine 04401-3257 United States
 * The Family History Center is located on the right side in the back wing of the building.
 * The words Family History Center are posted above the wing where the entrance is located. There is a buzzer labeled FHC to the left of the door. Please ring the buzzer for access.
 * Location on Map

Phone: (207) 942-7677 and select option 2

E-mail: [mailto:ME_Bangor@LDSMAIL.NET ME_Bangor@LDSMAIL.NET]

Open Hours:


 * Tuesday     10am - 2 pm; 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
 * Wednesday 10am - 2 pm; 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
 * Thursday:   10 am - 2 pm; 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
 * Saturday:   10 am - 2 pm

Holiday Schedule:


 * Closed snow-days (at least when Bangor schools are closed), holidays and holiday weekends
 * General Conference weekends (1st Saturday in April and October).

Class Schedule

 * Saturday, June 14, 2014 - 10:15 am - 11:15 am - “Basic Online Resources for the Beginning Genealogist,” presented (on video) by Lisa Alzo.

This is a video presentation from RootsTech 2014 that is NOT online. The description is: “When you’re new to family history, diving into the research process can seem overwhelming. This session will walk beginners through the exciting journey of genealogy. Learn what information is online, how to effectively search databases, and share information with others.”

While Lisa does talk about some basic starting points, she also presents some ideas that may be new to those who are more advanced. I find that I learn something (or am reminded of something) from most any presentation of this nature.

There is no cost to attend the session. Signup is not required, but can be done at www.lds.org/topics/family-history/host-a-family-history-fair/signup.


 * July - no classes
 * August - TBD
 * September - no classes. Note that on September 13, the Maine Genealogical Society (MGS) will host their Fall Conference at Jeff's Catering in Brewer.


 * Check out the online FamilySearch Research Courses at https://www.familysearch.org/learningcenter/home.html.


 * Please email suggestions/requests for specific classes in Bangor.

Staff Training Meetings

 * One on one as requested by the Staff Member.

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.
 * Books, over 1,425 microfilms, and over 445 fiche sets, primarily for Maine and other New England states. A smattering of books regarding other states. Some Canadian, British, and German films and books. 

Databases and Software

 * FHC Portal This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.
 * Currently, these websites include 19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archive, Access Newspaper Archive, Alexander Street Press - The American Civil War, Ancestry.com, ArkivDigital Online, Find My Past, Fold3 (formerly Footnote), Godfrey Memorial Library, Heritage Quest Online, Historic Map Works, World Vital Records, Paper Trail, and World Vital Records.

Hardware and Equipment

 * 7 computers and 3 printers for Patron use (one of the printers can copy to a pdf or jpg file)
 * 4 microfilm readers, equipped with monopods for mounting a digital camera to take pictures of film images (Note: Patrons may use their own camera or the FHC camera)
 * 1 digital camera and Kingston card reader to transfer images (Note: Patrons should bring a USB or thumb drive to receive the images)
 * 4 microfiche readers 

Staff Research Specialties
(Include sections for any other services your center provides. Add additional sections for those services. See the Mesa and Logan FHC pages for examples.)

Resources in the Local Area

 * Bangor Public Library: http://www.bpl.lib.me.us/


 * Fogler Library, University of Maine, Orono: http://library.umaine.edu/


 * Penobscot Maritime Museum, Searsport: http://www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org/


 * Maine State Archives, Augusta: http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/


 * Maine State Library, Augusta: http://www.maine.gov/msl/


 * Maine State Museum, Augusta: http://mainestatemuseum.org/

Links

 * Online Film Ordering: https://www.familysearch.org/films/


 * Online Catalog for the University of Maine System Libraries, Bangor Public Library, Maine State Library, and Maine State Archives is called URSUS, which is available at http://130.111.64.3/


 * FamilySearch Research Wiki article for Maine: https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Maine

Volunteer at the Center

 * We appreciate everyone who comes to help.


 * Please email (see above for our email address) if you are interested in helping.