Instant Information on the Internet!: A Genealogist's No-Frills Guide to the 50 States & the District of Columbia

Instant Information on the Internet! is designed to guide the researcher to the most important genealogy sites on the Internet, giving the addresses (URLs) of the best web sites for genealogical research in each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia. It tells how and where to locate records, contact other researchers, exchange information, and locate indexes that can be searched free of charge on a home computer. Designed specifically for speed and convenience, Instant Information on the Internet! provides immediate access to the top tier of genealogy resources on the Internet and is the logical starting point for genealogical research in this promising new medium. Organized by state, Instant Information provides the following Internet listings: 1) the state department of vital records; 2) the state archives, historical society, and library; 3) any National Archives Records Center located within the state; 4) other state, regional, and local archives, libraries, and societies, and some additional resources; 5) A selection of sites listing how-to, or instructional, information; 6) A selection of indexes, documents, and publications in digitized form; and 7) sites containing links to other sites. Considering the growth and daily transformation of cyber information, it is a good idea to maintain a paper trail. With this in mind, Instant Information on the Internet! helps pinpoint not only where information can be found on the Internet, but how to backtrack and reconstruct what has already been searched. While it is a stripped-down, no-frills guide to the most important genealogy sites on the Internet, it is also a wonderfully balanced research tool--well-rounded, and yet selective; concise, but also inclusive.

All three books provide easy access to useful genealogy sites. While Howells strives for exhaustive coverage of genealogy links, Schaefer offers very general site lists. Though Howells's book comes with a solid price tag, the purchase of each new (and planned) title in Schaefer's series would quickly rack up the same priceAor more. Still, for those who want only a brief, focused guide, Schaefer's books are an economical alternative.AElaine M. Kuhn, Allen Cty. P.L., Fort Wayne, IN
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.