Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library

Have you ever wanted to track your family ancestry? If so, look no further than the Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library, one of the best local resources for genealogists.

The Ancestry database is a much sought-after one that contains family history data for the entire world.

It is expensive for individuals to buy, but the library has made it available to users for free through the Polk County Library Cooperative.

The only condition is that users must come to the Historical and Genealogical Library or one of the other public libraries in the county.

In addition to genealogical records, the library has holdings of historical documents and photos about Polk County, including a microfiche set of Ledger archives.

The library's catalog can be seen on the website of the Polk County Library Cooperative, www.pclc.lib.fl.us.

A website, http://library.mypclc.org/historical, is equipped with many online resources that can be accessed from any computer.

The Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library is in the east wing of the Old Polk County Courthouse, 100 E. Main St. in downtown Bartow.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, except national holidays. It is closed Sunday and Monday.

Admission is free.

Patrons are not allowed to take bags into the library and must check them and other forbidden items before entering. Materials may not be removed from the library. Only pencils may be used for taking notes.

For more information, call 863-534-4380 or visit the museum website at http://library.mypclc.org/historical.