Policy

The library provides genealogy materials to assist the public in tracing their Oklahoma roots and family origins. Most of these materials are centralized in a special genealogy collection.

Regulations

1. General or introductory materials that introduce the public to the basics of genealogy may be purchased and housed at any of the system’s libraries. More specialized or one-of-a-kind materials will be added to the centralized genealogy collection.
2. The genealogy collection is housed at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library. Materials are provided for in-library use only.
3. The genealogy collection is focused on but not limited to Oklahoma and the surrounding states and the migration patterns of past and current Oklahomans.
4. Materials in a variety of formats may be added to the collection. These include, but are not limited to: books, periodicals, photographs, atlases, audiovisuals and electronic formats.
5. Materials will not be excluded from the collection solely on the basis of language.
6. The system will cooperate with the Oklahoma Historical Society to complement rather than duplicate the resources in their genealogy library.
7. The system reserves the right to enter into cooperative agreements with other organizations or institutions in order to preserve genealogy materials or to make them more widely available.
8. Purchases for the collection are made from an annual budget allocation approved by the library commission as part of the overall materials budget. Selections must meet the criteria of the Materials Selection Policy as well as the guidelines of this policy.
9. Gift materials added to the collection must meet the System’s requirements for accepting gifts as well as the guidelines of this policy.
10. The System reserves the right to dispose of materials that are inappropriate for or no longer useful for the collection.