The research library of the Southern Ohio Genealogical Society is now located at 1478 N. High St., Suite 450, at the North High Business Center in Hillsboro.
It is right across the hall from the Highland County Health Department.
At the current time the library is open by appointment only, but will soon have regular hours staffed by SOGS members ready to assist individuals with their family genealogy research. Watch the paper and/or the SOGS website, www.sogs.info, for the announcement of these library hours.
The SOGS Research Library has been housed at the Southern State Community College Central Campus Library in Hillsboro for the past 30 years. The college is in the process of downsizing and moving its library in order to utilize the present library space for needed health sciences classroom facilities. Therefore, it became a necessity to relocate the genealogy research holdings off campus. This move has been in process during the past three months and was finally completed on June 20.
The move involved labeling and packing more than 130 boxes of books. Rebecca Griffith and her library staff at SSCC are credited for all of the labeling and packing of the books. The donated library shelving then had to be dismantled, transported, and reassembled in the SOGS office. A professional library design company was hired to move the shelving and handle the reassembling to meet safety codes. SOGS members unboxed and shelved the books in the new location.
The SOGS Highland County research section contains the largest selection of publications and family histories of any other library around. At the current time there are close to 600 family histories in the collection, plus First and Second Family genealogies. SOGS also has research books from many surrounding Ohio counties. These include general genealogy research books, old atlases, birth, court, deed, death, marriage records, immigration materials, and more.
In addition to the extensive Ohio collection, you will find a large number of books from other states such as: Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, the New England states, New Jersey, and numerous others.
In order to schedule an appointment for research, send an e-mail to [email protected] with the following information: your name, your email address and phone number, and the dates and times you would be interested in using the SOGS library to do research.
Upon receiving your e-mail request, one of the SOGS research volunteers will contact you and set a date and time for your visit. Allow at least seven days advance notice for us to set a date and time for your visit. All traditional library facilities will be available for your research visit plus a copier. All of the SOGS publications will also be available for purchase.
The first 50 visitors to the new location will receive a special gift.
Submitted by Dwight Crum, president, Southern Ohio Genealogical Society.
