Classes & Programs

Special Collections offers several classes and programs to help you with your genealogical research. All are free and open to the public. See the flyers below for event descriptions and register online through the Library’s Event Calendar. For more information or assistance with registering, contact the Special Collections Division at 330-643-9030 or email us via our contact form.

• DNA Genetic Genealogy Interest Group Monthly Meeting

Finding Your Eastern European Ancestors

posted for a limited time until Nov. 1^st, 2021.

This program covers tips to find where your ancestors left, where to find the Eastern European records, and gives tips on translating most records. The author, Steve Szabados, has done extensive research for records in Poland, Hungary, and Czech Republic. Steve Szabados is a lecturer and author who has given numerous programs to genealogy groups and libraries. He is the author of over fifteen genealogy books and over twenty family histories. He has a passion for sharing his love of family history and his courses cover the methods that he has found success in his twenty years of research experience. You can also find more about his genealogical research and resources at his website: https://steveszabados.com/

Author Libby Copeland: The Lost Family

Watch award-winning journalist and author, Libby Copeland, and Special Collections Division Manager, Mary Plazo, discuss Copeland’s new book, The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are. In her book, Copeland explores the rapidly evolving phenomenon of home DNA testing, its implications for how we think about family and ourselves, and its ramifications for American culture broadly. Copeland is a freelance journalist who writes from New York for such media outlets as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic and Smithsonian Magazine.