Since 1972, JCGS and the Johnson County Library have been working together in a mutually beneficial relationship to build a genealogy collection to assist patrons with family history. The genealogy area of the Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th Street, (87th & Farley) Overland Park, Kansas, is a library within a library. The Johnson County Library provides the space, and JCGS staffs the information desk in the genealogy area. The reference books and materials from JCGS are housed here.
Take a Virtual Tour of the Genealogy Area of the Central Resource Library.
Check out the video below to learn more about the Johnson County Genealogical Society and the Genealogy area at the Johnson County Library's Central Resource Branch.
https://vimeo.com/819907036?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ciGenealogy Desk
Start here with your family history questions, brick walls, and information about online databases and materials in the JCGS collection.
Genealogy society member volunteers staff the desk Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. on Sunday.
FamilySearch Affiliate Library
The Johnson County Library is now a FamilySearch Affiliate Library! This means that when you come into any of the library’s 14 branches, you will have access to approximately 400 million images currently unavailable to the public outside of an affiliate library or a FamilySearch center.
If you have questions about using FamilySearch, stop by our Genealogy Desk at the Central Resource Library. You can speak with a helpful volunteer Monday through Saturday from 9 to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
What’s Available in the Genealogy Area
There is definitely something for everyone's genealogy, from general “how-to” books to specific family histories, computers, printers, and a wall with free handouts.
Over 9,000 books are resources covering genealogy in all areas of the United States.
- How-to books on genealogy and family history
- Cemeteries
- Ethnic Groups
- Immigration
- Passenger Lists
- Atlases and Gazetteers
- Dictionaries of place names
- Descendants of Colonial and 19th Century ancestors
- Civil Way (Union and Confederate)
- Colonists, Patriots, New England Settlers
- Military
- Local History
- Lineage Socities
The materials are listed in the Johnson County Library catalog and can be searched by keyword, title,
subject, or author. www.jocolibrary.org.
Here is a 173-page PDF file listing the 4,000+ state-specific books that are available for research at the Genealogy Desk.
Microfilm rolls, microfiche cards, and readers
Microfilm Examples:
KC Star for Sept 1880-Oct 2017
Johnson County Newspapers by City and Date
Native American Indian Periodicals
Microfiche Examples:
Vogue 1892-2011
Life Magazine 1969-2000
Midwest Quarterly - Negro History Bulletin
Computers where genealogy sites can be accessed
Wall racks and a floor stand with over 100 flyers having to do with genealogy – all free.