One enjoys many benefits from possessing a public library card; many of us access Heritagequest (and Fold3) records at home through our library's website. Free and convenient! A partnership between Ancestry and Proquest, Heritagequest's parent company, has changed the landscape. Heritagequest Online now has a new interface powered by Ancestry, intended to improve and streamline the research process. A Proquest executive was quoted as saying, "Proquest's comprehensive collection of family history resources and historical news delivers a winning combination to help library patrons discover their family history."

Upon hearing the news, I made a few quick queries. The new Heritagequest screens look different, but it seems easy to move around and images are very sharp. It's impossible for me to make judgments about content without more research.

However, I did make one little discovery, unrelated to my own family. I hadn't known there was an "All U.S. Special Census on Deaf Family Marriages and Hearing Relatives, 1888-1895." The database contains questionnaires issued to deaf couples about deaf marriages in America. Interesting. I often advise that researchers revisit their favorite resources on a regular basis. New material is often added or, in the case of Heritagequest Online, bigger changes are made.

If you have a card from a public library, go to its website and look for genealogy online resources. Take a look at the new and improved Heritagequest Online