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  1. #1
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    Default local library closed .....

    you MIGHT find, as I have just done, that because your local library is currently closed and therefore you would not be able to access Ancestry and FindMyPast (if they offered that service - I guess not all libraries do?) - that they are now offering access from home.

    I get regular emails from my local county library service and have just received one giving me User names and passwords to access Ancestry and FMP.

    Don't want to get anyone's hopes up but worth a try ?


    (..... just tried it for FMP and its the whole world Pro subscription with newspapers etc.)

  2. #2
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    Our local libraries (Carmarthenshire) are offering home access to Ancestry Library Edition. Log in with Library card number and PIN number you would normally use to access Ancestry at the library. Don't worry if you have't got a PIN - there is a "Forgot PIN?" Works fine on my chromebook but refuses to open on the PC.

  3. #3
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    What a very useful tip, wimsey.

    Just checked West Sussex libraries, and they're offering remote access.
    Amongst some other stuff they offer The Times Digital Archive and the Illustrated London News.

    Lincolnshire libraries also have a load of resources, including FMP and Ancestry.

    Not necessarily the all-bell-whistles-and-flags versions, but enough to get you so far in your searches.

    Pam
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

  4. #4
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    I've been happily remotely accessing FMP for the past few days but now am blocked until next month because of the Fair Usage policy. I'm sure I'm nowhere near reaching an individual's maximum usage but I'm thinking that if loads of other people are also accessing the library edition remotely we could easily reach the maximum usage collectively.

    Do you think that sounds correct ?

    when I say blocked I mean I can't look at the individual records, not that I can't get into FMP at all

  5. #5

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    Do people have to have been library members before this all started?

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lesley Robertson View Post
    Do people have to have been library members before this all started?
    good question
    not sure. I was. When I got the original email notification about remote access I don't think it was because I was a library member, just that I happened to be signed up for library information emails (if you see what I mean).

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by wimsey View Post
    I've been happily remotely accessing FMP for the past few days but now am blocked until next month because of the Fair Usage policy. I'm sure I'm nowhere near reaching an individual's maximum usage but I'm thinking that if loads of other people are also accessing the library edition remotely we could easily reach the maximum usage collectively.

    Do you think that sounds correct ?

    when I say blocked I mean I can't look at the individual records, not that I can't get into FMP at all
    Think that might be the reason, wimsey. Or it could be that the Fair Usage limit is a lot lower for library users.
    I know that many years ago people were able to join some libraries regardless of where they lived in the world and were able to sign in to use either Ancestry or FMP (can't remember if it was only one of them available at the time) but there was a limit of four people at a time allowed access.

    Fair usage for paying subscribers is 5000 records per month. (500 in any one 24-hour period.)
    Over a free weekend, there's a maximum of 200 records in 24 hours.
    During a free 14-day trial, the maximum is 600 records.

    Would you like to estimate how many records you've accessed, wimsey, so far this month?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lesley Robertson View Post
    Do people have to have been library members before this all started?
    They should be able to join remotely, though probably some county councils (responsible for the running of the libraries) are more organised than others.

    A friend had been a member of his library but hadn't used it for a while and so had 'lost' his library card. Not sure if he physically spoke to someone or just had a email conversation, but he was re-registered and is now happily starting his family history research.

    For anyone who is restricted on the use of FMP or Ancestry under the Fair Usage, don't forget that there are other resources such as 19th Century Newspapers, and/or The Times Digital Archive, which can be accessed. Even just browsing through any old newspaper can make interesting reading.

    Pam
    Last edited by Pam Downes; 24-04-2020 at 1:09 PM. Reason: Added the word 'paying' in the Fair Usage information.
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

  8. #8
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    I suppose I could have accessed as many as 100 records, but nowhere near 5000.

    I'm not moaning or complaining. Its pretty generous to be able to do it at all.

  9. #9

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    It’s worth checking the websites of libraries local to wherever your research is.
    Yesterday, I found myself in the catalogue of a major (national level) library near me while searching for a particular book, and discovered that although they are closed, they have opened up all sorts of extra digital resources for their members! It doesn’t matter that I’ll only be joining today, for €15 I’ll get a full year of membership!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by wimsey View Post
    I suppose I could have accessed as many as 100 records, but nowhere near 5000.

    I'm not moaning or complaining. Its pretty generous to be able to do it at all.
    Oops. Just realised that I omitted that vital word 'paying' in the details about Fair Usage in my earlier post.
    Paying subscribers are allowed 5000 records a month, and you're certainly not going to be allowed anywhere near that number.

    Somewhere between ninety and a hundred records a month per library user probably sounds about right. Ninety would equal three a day.
    Vulcan XH558 - “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

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