This week I, like many other members, got an email from the Society of Genealogists.
It comes on the back of the LDS news that The London FamilySearch Centre, that has been ‘temporarily’ at The National Archives in Kew for several years, is reaching the end of its contract with TNA and the size of presence at Kew and the type of offerings from the London FamilySearch Centre will change in June 2017.
With this news the SoG Library in Clerkenwell becomes even more of an important place for family historians to pay a visit to than ever.
I have always been a fan of the SoG and so this is good news that the films are still going to be available when The London FamilySearch Centre stops providing access themselves.
Here is the email from Else Churchill…
The London FamilySearch Centre microfilm collection, which is currently temporarily located at The National Archives, is transferring to the Society of Genealogists in Clerkenwell. The move reflects a partnership between the Society of Genealogists and FamilySearch to ensure that the microfilm collection continues to be available to family historians. The London FamilySearch Centre will continue to provide its research support services at the National Archives.
The collection of about 57,000 microfilms complement the SoG’s remarkable library of genealogical sources and both bring together, in one place, an unparalleled resource for family history researchers in the UK. Having been carefully curated over many years, the FamilySearch Films include many thousands of copies of original church and local records from the United Kingdom and Ireland; probate records for England and Wales before and after 1858 and selected items for Caribbean research.
The films will be available to view at the National Archives until 31 May and should be available for consultation at the Society of Genealogists Library from 26 June 2017.
Information about visiting and using the Society of Genealogists Library can be found on the SoG website http://www.sog.org.uk/the-library
June Perrin, CEO of the Society says “ The Society of Genealogists is delighted to offer a home to such a remarkable collection and looks forward to welcoming family historians to our library in Clerkenwell”
Else Churchill
Genealogist
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