亚洲天堂 Lake residents now have an easy way to investigate where their ancestors actually came from.

Since May 2017, the 亚洲天堂 Lake Public Library has been offering access to the library edition of ancestry.ca., a subscription-based website that offers access to 129 million searchable Canadian family history records.

Although the website offers monthly memberships starting at $14.99, the 亚洲天堂 Lake library is offering free access.

鈥淧eople want to connect with their past and we can help,鈥� said library director Sashka Macievich.

The website consists of a group of databases that contain genealogical information such as birth, marriage and death records, as well as immigration and military records. More databases are added as they become digitized.

鈥淚t works by entering information that a person knows about a relative from their past, and they find information to confirm that they are part of their family history,鈥� explained Macievich. 鈥淯sing that information, they would do more searches to find more relatives, parents, children and spouses, to go back generations.鈥�

The library edition offers slightly different features than the edition people can normally subscribe to.

鈥淏asically it is the exact same except that you cannot save or make a family tree,鈥� said Macievich. 鈥淏ut you can email documents and information to yourself.鈥�

When asked how long it takes for someone to find out where their ancestors came from, Macievich said there鈥檚 not specific time.

鈥淚t depends on how much information a person wants, where their family originates from and how much information is available,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or most people it is a hobby that they spend time on for a few hours each week or month; it can take months or years.鈥�

Although the website is fairly user friendly, the 亚洲天堂 Lake Public Library offers an instruction sheet to guide new users, and most of the library staff are familiar with the software.

鈥淚t is very easy to access and use, and the library staff will help people navigate the website, but it is very user friendly and most people can use it on their own,鈥� said Macievich. 鈥淚t can only be used in the library on one of our computers or on your own device accessing our wireless.鈥�

Although free access to ancestry.ca is available for all provincial libraries, not all libraries are participating.

鈥淲e receive a deal through the North Central Library Federation that is based on the number of libraries that participate,鈥� explained Macievich. 鈥淲e will offer this service for as long as people are using it and as long as it is available for us to subscribe to.鈥�