Google Books is a Goldmine for Genealogists
Historical Researchers Now Have an Invaluable Online Resource
Jul 6, 2009
The internet is providing a growing selection of time-saving resources for serious researchers in all fields, allowing the study of numerous topics right from the comfort ofhome or office. One of the best recent additions to this body of research tools is Google Books.
What is Google Books?
Historians and Genealogists now have an amazing online resource at their fingertips -- Google Books. Almost everyone on the face of the planet is familiar with Google as probably the most famous search engine. But a lesser known recent addition may be escaping notice. Google books is an amazing resource for finding books on any topic of interest. Moreover, they list all of the book and author information, catalog numbers, and publication information. They even help you find where to purchase the books in stores or find them in libraries.
Why is Google Books Helpful to Historians and Genealogists?
However, of particular interest to researchers and genealogists is the fact that many out of copyright histories and family chronicles are being scanned, packaged as PDF files, and made available through Google Books. They can be read online in either the PDF format or in text format, and the PDF file can also be downloaded for use offline. If a reader does not wish to download the file, it can be placed in a personal library for easy retrieval later.
A wonderful feature of these books is that they are searchable, not only through the Google search engine, which can help you find them, but through the books themselves. Looking for the name of a particular person, be it an ancestor or historical figure, and being able to find it on every page where it occurs is a huge advantage, saving the researcher much time and frustration.
As well as public domain offerings, Google Books often shows many page samples of books that are still in copyright, and it is easy to see before purchasing a book whether or not it will be helpful to the research at hand. The purchase information and library availability makes this a much more convenient choice for browsing books to purchase than going to a bookstore.
How are the PDF books used?
The downloaded PDF files, which require a reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view, are extremely flexible, with a number of viewing and searching options. Pages can be viewed one at a time or as two pages side by side, and can be traversed either through clicking next and previous buttons, or scrolled through continuously. There is a simple search box in the toolbar, or if needed, a more advanced Full Search feature can be activated through a drop down. The full search allows choices for whole words only, case sensitivity and other options. It even allows for searching through all the PDF documents in the same folder.
The quality of these books is on the whole quite high. Even images are of much better quality than what used to be found in such files. Google books is sure to become a well used resource for any historian or genealogist after using it for the first time.
