Family History Center, More Questions than Answers

I have been wanting to go to the local LDS Family History Center, but was nervous about going alone. An opportunity arose yesterday when the genealogy specialist at my county library invited me to attend a tour with her genealogy club from another county library. I wish I could say that I was overwhelmed with all the information and family history that there was to be had.  However, it wasn't as glorious as I had hoped.

First, I must say that the volunteers that were there were very eager to help and were extremely nice. I was expecting to go in, tour the facilities, sit down at a computer terminal and all the hidden records would come rushing at me like a river overflowing its banks. I know, I need to better manage my expectations.

But, wouldn't you know, the person who knows all the answers to all the questions I had wasn't there that day. That's OK, I'll just check out a few things. Guess what, you need your Family Search user name and password to sign in. Well, I didn't have that with me because I use a password keeper on my home computer so I don't have to remember 92 passwords. This brings me to the big question that no one there could answer. If I use my own user name and password to sign into Family Search at the Family History Center, am I going to see the same information that I would see if I was logged on at home? How can I access all the online databases the Family History Center has access to (Ancestry, Fold3, Historic Map Works, Kinpoint, My Heritage, Newspaper Archive, Paper Trail, ProQuest Obituary Listings, Puzzilla.org, World Vital Rcords), if I must sign on to each site using my own user name and password for the free, and usually limited, account?

So, just a few unanswered questions. I will definitely be going back. Hopefully, the person with all the answers will be there! Anyone want to come with?

Ciao for now!
Kim