Database News: Ancestry Library Edition is Back!
July 29, 2025
We are pleased to announce that the library is once again offering Ancestry Library Edition to the Bentley community! Uncover your family history using billions of historical documents and images available in this robust and immensely popular genealogical research database.
Ancestry Library Edition is powered by Ancestry.com and delivered to libraries on the ProQuest platform. The library version provides access to most of the content available to individual Ancestry.com subscribers, however because it is a community resource some personalization features and tools are not available.
Inside Ancestry Library Edition
Ancestry Library Edition includes domestic and international databases for genealogical research, offering access to more than 20 billion records. Users will find censuses, vital records, city directories, immigration records, military records, wills and probates, family and local history books, and more. Multimedia collections deliver millions of files ranging from family and gravestone photos to postcards and newsreels. Coverage dates back to the 1700s and new content is always being added.
- Historical Records
- Birth, Marriage, and Death
- Census and Voter Lists
- Immigration and Travel
- Military
- Schools, Directories, and Church Histories
- Tax, Criminal, Land, and Wills
- Reference, Dictionaries, and Almanacs
- Stories, Memories, and Histories; Newspapers; Periodicals and Magazines
- Photos and Maps
Learn More and Get Help
ProQuest has created a detailed online help guide to the Ancestry Library Edition database. Visit the guide to learn about the content contained within the database, get quick user guides, find search tips and genealogy lessons, and view prerecorded webinars. You can also watch a series of short training videos on the Ancestry 5-Minute Finds Series playlist on YouTube.
Connect to Ancestry Library Edition
Ancestry Library Edition is available on the library's Databases A-Z list. Please note that Ancestry Library Edition replaces HeritageQuest Online. For further assistance using this database, please contact the Reference Desk.