Research Tools

In-Library Use Only. Ancestry Library Edition covers the United States and the United Kingdom, including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada and other areas.

Making millions of materials from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions across the country available to all in a one-stop discovery experience.

Provides access to military records from the US Civil War through the Vietnam War. Library card required for access.

Find ancestors and relatives in the complete set of the U.S. Federal Census Records from 1790-1940. Also find information on people and places in over 25,000 family and local histories. Library card required for access.

Digital archives of newspapers from Fort Dodge and surrounding Webster county towns for the years 1856 to 1934. Years available depend on the newspaper.

Tutorials, including short videos, show how to use many of our online resources. Also includes tutorials on computer, internet and social media basics, research essentials, job skills and resume writing, and CDC zombie preparedness information.

Numerous indexes, records, and publications from the State Historical Society of Iowa collections are available online. Through their partnerships, and with support from the State Library of Iowa, you can access digitized maps, publications, newspapers, vital records, and much more.