Collection
The Family History ACT (FHACT) Library is a non-lending collection managed by volunteer members, for the use of members in their research and study of family history, genealogy, heraldry and allied subjects. The collection contains published materials in the form of books, periodicals, microform, DVDs, CD-ROMs, some subscription electronic databases and a small collection of primary records (personal papers, manuscripts and archives). Non-members can access the collection for a daily, weekly or monthly fee.
Arrangement of the collection
Most of the collection is arranged first by geographical areas, then into 8 main classes of information. These main classes are further sub-divided to enable material on a subject to be located together. Some groups of resources require specific storage or treatment and are thus referred to as Special Collections and are assigned the letter Y.
The numbers created are called call numbers and provide the key to the location of items within the FHACT Library.
Geographic area
These can be countries or regions each denoted by a letter. These may be further subdivided and denoted by a combination of letters of the alphabet.
| A | Australia | |
| AA | Australian Capital Territory | |
| AN | New South Wales | |
| ANt | Northern Territory | |
| AQ | Queensland | |
| AS | South Australia | |
| AT | Tasmania | |
| AV | Victoria | |
| AW | Western Australia | |
| J | Pacific | |
| JMe | Melanesia | |
| JMi | Micronesia | |
| JPo | Polynesia | |
| K | New Zealand | |
| L | International | |
| LH | Huguenots | |
| LJ | Jewish | |
| M | Great Britain | |
| N | England - Subdivided by pre 1974 counties | |
| P | Scotland – Subdivided by pre 1974 counties | |
| Q | Wales – Subdivided by pre 1974 counties | |
| R | Ireland – Subdivided by provinces | |
| S | Europe – Subdivided by Countries | |
| T | Canada – Subdivided by provinces | |
| U | United States of America – Subdivided by states | |
| V | Asia – Subdivided by regions | |
| W | Africa – Subdivided by regions | |
| X | Latin America and Caribbean – Subdivided by regions | |
Main Classes
These are used to divide the resources within each geographic area into the following broad subject areas:
| 1 | Heraldry |
| 2 | Genealogy (general material) |
| 3 | Biographical collections |
| 4 | Family histories, individual biog* - Only used at Country or region level |
| 5 | Information sources, vital records and guides to these records |
| 6 | History (national, state etc) |
| 7 | History, local * - Only used for Australian local areas |
| 8 | Generalities (Journals, atlases etc) |
Further sub-divisions within each main class enables material on a topic to be located together. Each item is then assigned a running number to make the call number unique.
Special Collections
| Y2 | Microfiche |
| Y3 | Microfilm |
| Y4 | Primary Collections (Archives & personal papers/manuscripts) |
| Y5 | Finding Aids to particular resources in the FHACT Library |
| Y6 | Microfilm from LDS on permanent loan |
| Y7 | Microfiche from LDS on permanent loan |
