Finding (or Losing?) Your Census

[Kathy L. Fisher]

In just a few days the National Archives and Records Administration will be releasing the 1940 Census to the public.  For those of you interested in genealogical work, this could mean a new goldmine, but there are a few important things to know before you try any digging.

 

• The April 2 Release Day will be the first time we as librarians will have seen it, so please be patient if we cannot answer all of your questions immediately.

 

• As this Census has never before been made public, it will not come equipped with a fully searchable name index.

 

• To familiarize yourself, I suggest visiting these websites:

 

http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/ (before or after April 2)

 

http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/start-research.html  (before or after April 2)

 

http://1940census.archives.gov/  (on or after April 2)  This site is where you will be able to access the digitized census records after 9 AM on April 2. The digital images will be accessible free of charge using any computer connected to the internet.