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Genealogical research has been one of the many areas revolutionized by the Internet. Imagine turning pages in endless dusty ledgers and perusing voluminous public records--if you could even travel to their locations--before remote computer access made instant lookups possible.

Diane Kovacs, founder of Kovacs Consulting - Internet and Web Training <http://www.kovacs.com/>, is a former reference librarian whose considerable experience researching genealogy, both with library patrons as well as professional clients, makes her well qualified to assemble a detailed guide on this popular activity. The book is organized into four sections: the basics of how to get started, how to use the major genealogical tools on the Web, how to network with family members as well as fellow genealogical researchers, and how to locate societies, including those relating to heraldry, African Americans and Native Americans. The specific Websites featured are analyzed in detail, and for some, such as that of the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island, there is an illustration of their Website.

Besides the virtuosity with which the author presents helpful tips, insider know-how, and valuable insights into negotiating the Websites and research process, there is a genuinely friendly, personal touch which is quite disarming, and should serve both to encourage novices to persevere and to delight veteran genealogists. Ms. Kovacs not only provides her e-mail address and encourages readers to contact her with questions, she has structured the book to encourage this interaction. She accomplishes this by providing step-by-step Web-based tutorial activities, with Web forms for each activity with which the reader is encouraged to report to her on progress made, and receive helpful advice by return e-mail.

Brimming with anecdotes from personal experience, the text is a pleasure to read. Describing how to communicate with non-Internet connected family members, the author describes the varying levels of connectivity within her own family and how she deals with them. Overall, the text is conversational in tone and much like talking to a friend.

Highly recommended for genealogical researchers across the full spectrum of ability and experience.

Published in 2002 by: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., New York. (194 p.) ISBN: 1-55570-430-1. $55.00.

Reviewed by: Richard W. Grefrath
Reference Librarian
University of Nevada, Reno