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I found this on Devon FHS board and thought it could interest people on here.
GRO Indexes in Plymouth Library
A new and extended service is now available to family historians in the Plymouth area, following the closure of the Family Records Centre in London on 15 March.
Plymouth Central Library has been selected as one of only four new regional centres around England and Wales to offer complete indexes on microfiche to birth, marriage and death certificates from 1837 to 2006/7. For the first time, details of civil partnerships and of adoptions are now available outside London.
The microfiche indexes are a vital tool for family historians, as they help them to identify the key events in their family’s history. Having done that, they can then order copies of the certificates they are interested in. Last year, some 2.1 million certificates were ordered nationally, up 800,000 on the number issued five years ago.
To assist researchers to make the best use of the new indexes, representatives from the General Register Office will be available in the Central Library on Tuesday 8 April from 9am to 3pm to give advice on topics such as how to make the best use of the indexes, how to read information on the microfiches which is unclear, and how to order certificates online. This advice will be given in an informal ‘one-to-one’ basis. It is free, and there is will be no need to book in advance.
Welcoming the plans, Registrar General Karen Dunnell said, ‘Family history has become immensely popular in recent years and I am delighted that many researchers should now be able to consult the indices they need more easily. These proposals would be a real improvement for many people interested in their family history but who can’t easily get to London’.
The indexes are available for use on the first floor of the Central Library in Drake Circus, and will continue to be there at least until free, online access to them can be provided, probably in 2010.
For further information, please contact
Joyce Brown
Local and Naval Studies Librarian
Plymouth Central Library
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AL
Local and Naval Studies Library Tel 01752 305909
Email [email protected]
Christine
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