Family history hunters are being offered free taster sessions on a new library internet service with the chance to search name-indexed census information from 1841 to 1901.
Library goers in Penrith and Shap are being given the chance to uncover valuable facts about their forebears' lives and times for free. On 4 April and 2 May, amateur sleuths hoping to trace their family history will be able to book a session between 2:30pm and 3:30pm on Ancestry.co.uk - Britain's largest family history website.
Shap library users are also being given the chance to get on the genealogy trail on 3 April when the library holds its own free taster session from 10:30am to 11:30am. Places at both libraries are limited and people are advised to book early and to bring along as much information as possible about the people they wish to research.
The internet service, which is available in all Cumbria's libraries, normally costs 50p for fifteen minutes surfing. Library goers can use it to search hand-written census, birth, marriage and death records.
For 19th Century celebrity watchers, the great and the good are featured along with the general public. For example, on the night of 6 June 1841 the young Queen Victoria is at home with Prince Albert in Buckingham Palace and the 29-year-old Charles Dickens, whose Barnaby Rudge was being serialised at the time, is with his wife and children in London's Devonshire Terrace.
Councillor Bingham continued: "The internet has boosted access to ancestral information in a way that was unthinkable just a few years ago. By offering this service in Cumbria's libraries, we can open up opportunities for more people than ever before to explore their roots."
People can access internet services in Cumbria's libraries for as little as 50p for 15 minutes surfing. In addition to this, a full range of concessions applies with under 19s, people aged over 60, full-time students, people on low incomes and people with disabilities all entitled to up to 1 hour of free internet access each day.
For more information, or to reserve a place at one of the taster sessions, contact Shap library on 01931-716644 or Penrith library on 01768-242100.
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Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228-606337