Society nonmembers pay $5.00/day to use the temperature-controlled library, but students may use the facilities free of charge. Most genealogies and local histories are placed in open shelves in the reading room. Additional books, maps, and archival items are housed in adjacent, limited-access areas, which require staff retrieval. Books are catalogued according to the Library of Congress classification system. Four microfilm readers, one microfiche reader, and one reader-printer are available for use. The Society publishes Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage (quarterly magazine) and the Mirror (bimonthly newsletter). It also offers a genealogical research service by mail.

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1. Genealogical Card File: Individuals' names, dates, and other vital statistics on approximately 300,000 persons arranged in alphabetical order. Both paternal (father) and maternal (mother) lines can be traced if information is complete. "Nurturing Our Roots" form serves as tool to submit genealogical information. Sample card format:

Genealogies: Over 2,600 published genealogies.

Local History-Secular, Church-Related: County, township, town/city, and congregational histories as well as Mennonite and non-Mennonite church records (see CHURCH RECORDS AND REGISTERS) for Lancaster and other Pennsylvania counties.

Biographical Works: Biographical encyclopedias and directories for various counties.

Directories: City and county directories provide names, addresses, occupations, and other helpful data.

Gazetteers: Identification and short descriptions of towns, mountains, lakes, valleys, and streams. Basic reference tool is Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer of the World; Rand McNally Commercial Atlas & Marketing Guide lists cities, villages, and townships in U.S.

Ship Passenger Lists: Lists of immigrants who landed at Philadelphia, 1727-1808, in Pennsylvania German Pioneers (3 vols.); multi-volume Passenger and Immigration Lists Index gives thousands of names and dates of immigrants to North American ports, 1600-1900.

Encyclopedias: Mennonite Encyclopedia (5 vols.) and Brethren Encyclopedia (3 vols.) are comprehensive works containing entries on surnames, most Mennonite and Brethren congregations, conferences, European Anabaptist history, doctrines, church practices, and other subjects.

3. Additional Library and Archival Sources:

Atlases and Maps: Lancaster County atlases (1864, 1875, and 1899) show landowners, acreage, churches, graveyards, school, and mills; also contemporary atlases; atlases (50+) from other Pennsylvania counties as well. Patentee maps are available which locate land sold to the first landowners.

CD-ROMS: Family trees, maps, and records. For use only in the library.

Census Records: Published indexes for Pennsylvania census, 1790-1860, and to 1870 for eastern Pennsylvania. Library has all Lancaster County census records, 1790-1920 (except 1890) on microfilm plus records for other Pennsylvania counties for selected years.

Cemetery Transcriptions: Over 2,500 cemetery transcriptions from Lancaster and other counties, states, and countries are listed by cemetery name, location, and religious denomination. Gerberich and Worner collections appear on microfilm. See also subject heading CEMETERIES in card catalog.

Deeds: Book of published deed abstracts for Lancaster County, 1729-ca.1770; selected deed abstracts, 1729-1832, in card catalog.

Surname Files: Correspondence and miscellaneous items covering over 100 linear feet of vertical file space on over 3,000 different surnames. This material is listed in the library catalog by surname and may be requested of staff.

Obituaries: Indexed obituary clippings from local newspapers begin with 1956. Clippings from Lancaster Intelligencer Journal are complete, 1970-present, along with index; request from staff. Abstracts of all obituaries from the Mennonite periodicals Herald of Truth (1864-1908), Gospel Herald (1908-1998), and the Mennonite (1999 ff.) as well as several local Mennonite periodicals are integrated into genealogical card file.

Periodicals: Selected articles in library's 500+ historical and genealogical periodicals have been indexed according to author, title, and subject. Catalog cards for these articles are stamped "Periodicals" and "Vertical File." Periodical articles are also listed in separate periodical file; articles available upon request.

Wills: Series of cross-indexed will abstracts for the following Pennsylvania counties: Lancaster (1721-1820), Berks (1752-1825), Bucks (l785-1825), Chester (1714-1825), Cumberland (1750-1825), Montgomery (1784-1850), Philadelphia (1682-1825), and York (1749-1820). Microfilms of Lancaster County wills exist, 1730-1908, and of index, 1729-1947.

Orphans' Court Records: Collection of indexed abstracts appears in the card catalog for Lancaster County Orphans' Court records, 1740-1804; family relationships often indicated. Microfilms of original records, 1742-1867, and of index, 1742-1891.

Surname Exchange File: Names of researchers and surnames pertaining to their interests.

Tax Records: Published indexes for some tax lists of the 1700s in Lancaster and other counties plus microfilms of original tax lists of Lancaster County, ca.1750-ca. 1855.

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