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Two racks were given to CGS after the NGS conference that we are using to display new additions to the library

In the past someone from the library committee would provide the publications committee with a list of the newly acquired books twice a year and they published the list in The Nugget. But, as you know, all the “normal” procedures went haywire during the pandemic. During this time, I took over as chair of the library committee and it took me some time to get up to speed. As a result, no one has shared the specifics about the new books the library for a long time.

Information about the many book donations our members have generously given have been mentioned in this blog and I pointed out our recently acquired “New Book” racks in the video tour of the library. Now, with the help of Theresa Murphy, we have published lists of the books that have been added to our stacks in 2020, 2021 and so far in 2022. The list is eighteen pages.

In 2020 a total of 319 books were added. There were 95 additions in 2021 and so far in 2022 we’ve added 121. That’s 535 reasons for you to schedule a visit to the library!

All of the new entries for 2020 are maps and all but a couple include links to the actual map viewable from the Library of Congress website. These include city and county maps for California – most are Sanborn Map Company fire Insurance maps so they provide a wealth of information of value to genealogists. You can find these maps by using WorldCat. After entering a title or keyword the site will provide a list of entries. If you scroll down you can select “maps” from the menu on the left side.

New additions for 2021 are more diverse. That was the year the library committee was processing the very large donation made by the estate of Laura Spurrier, a past CGS library committee chair. Laura gave us books about Quakers, Spurriers in America, and many other books that she knew we didn’t have.

The titles added so far this year are equally diverse. Here’s one that sounds provocative: Lost Babes: Fornication Abstracts from Court Records, Essex County, MA 1692-1745. Our Irish SIG members may be happy to know that we now have a copy of A Guide to Irish Roots: Including Celts, Vikings, Normans, Kings, Queens & Commoners. Let us know if you discover royalty in your family.

You can find the complete list of new acquisitions linked at our website under “What’s In the Library.”