The worldwide success of TV shows such as Who Do You Think You Are? is helping to ignite interest in family history research and Central Coast Libraries are meeting the increasing demand for resources in this area.

Tuggerah and Gosford Libraries each have a Family History Collection with resources to help library members research their family history.

A Senior Archivist, Gail Davis, from the State Archives and Records Authority of NSW is visiting Tuggerah Library to give a free presentation on using the State Archives on 22 February 10.30am to 12.30pm.

Group Leader, Connected Communities, Ms Julie Vaughan, said researching family history was a passion for many Coast residents.

“Researching family history helped people understand where they came from, and sometimes they make surprising discoveries,” Ms Vaughan said.

“Navigating your way through archives can be daunting, and that’s where an expert from the State Archives can be of invaluable assistance.”

The session will focus on the records held in the NSW State archives collection and tips on how to navigate the State Archives website, online indexes and resources, an A to Z of terms beginners may encounter in the course of their research and an examination of annotations that may appear on various documents.

Council’s Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said gleaning tips from an expert on how to research family history was invaluable.

“Researching records can often be time-consuming and frustrating, so getting free advice and tips from an expert from NSW State archives is a great opportunity,” Mr Reynolds said.

“It could save people a lot of time and lead to some wonderful discoveries – who knows what people may find out about their ancestors?”

“Council libraries love providing community members with tools to uncover hidden gems in their family background”.

Resources at Tuggerah and Gosford Libraries for family history research include a wide range of index books, microfilms, electoral rolls, history books, immigration documents and hard and electronic copies of family history magazines.

Even Convict Tickets of Leave and wage agreements and entitlements are held.

Bookings for the free session are essential: call 02 4350 1560.

For more information on family history research, visit: Gosford Library or Tuggerah Library.