MGS Library/Resource Centre

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Closed for all statutory holidays.
The library will be open one Saturday per month from 10 am to 3 pm by appointment only.  Please email se-winnipeg-mbgenealogy@shaw.ca by the preceding Wednesday.
Please check our calendar to confirm Saturday opening dates.

View Calendar

We operate entirely with Volunteers, so it is a good idea to call ahead to make sure we are open.  Special opening times may be arranged in advance for school groups or other organizations. If you have any inquiries, please phone 204-783-9139.

All are welcome.  MGS members can use the resources in the Library/Resource Centre free of charge. Non-members can use the resources for a daily user fee of $10.00. Members may borrow materials.

The MGS Library has produced an online catalogue of items held in the library collection, called KOHA. It is searchable by title, author or keyword. You can search from home or at the Library. KOHA is an open-source Integrated Library System used by many libraries throughout the world. Access the MGS Library Catalogue.

• On-site access (free while in the Library) to:
  • Ancestry – Library Edition
  • Newspaper Archive –  available for in-house use on two computers. It is an international edition with papers from around the world.
    A special Thank You to Southeast and Winnipeg Branch of MGS for providing these services at the resource centre.

• • In total, MGS has over 10,000 items (books, microfiche, maps, periodicals, etc.) in the library
  • Periodicals – approximately 60 journals, newsletters etc. from other genealogical organizations
  • MANI – our online database where you can search all MGS indexes at once.
  • Genealogical Handbooks, other reference materials and research aids.
  • Cemetery indexes – transcriptions on tombstones for over 1400 cemeteries throughout Manitoba.
  • Manitoba Crown Lands Registries – index listing land description for major land grants and homesteads.
  • Early Newspaper Obituary Index – births, marriages and deaths found in selected rural Manitoba newspapers 1859 to 1887 and in Winnipeg newspapers from 1859 to mid 1890s.
  • Index to Recent Obituaries in Winnipeg papers – from 1968 to the present, compiled and updated every quarter.

• Manitoba local and family history books – approximately 900 books.
• Manitoba Early Censuses – 1870, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1906, 1911, 1916, 1921, 1926, 1931
• Henderson Directories – Manitoba addresses and residents from 1876 to 1908, Winnipeg addresses and residents from 1908 to end of publication in 1999.
• Anglican Marriage, Baptism and Death indexes from over 60 churches from the Diocese of Rupert’s Land. Years range from 1813 to 1925.
• Some Catholic Marriage Indexes – Years range from 1834 to 1982.
• United Church Archives – marriage, baptism and burial indexes for a large number of Manitoba and N.W. Ontario charges.

Unless marked as Reference, all books in our library are available for MGS members to borrow. You can borrow up to six books/periodicals or CDs/DVDs at a time for three weeks.

Renewals are usually allowed as long as no other member has requested to borrow the same item(s).

We have multiple computer stations available for genealogical research with online “Quick Link” access while in the library to:

• Genealogy Guide
• FamilySearch Research Wiki
• Manitoba Vital Statistics
• Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) Cemeteries Map
• Winnipeg Municipal Cemeteries
• Archives Canada
• WWII Service Files
• Henderson Directories – Prairie Cities
• Winnipeg Tribune 1890-1980
• Manitoba Local Histories & More
• Cummins 1923 Land Maps

We have an Epson Scanner with a built-in transparency unit to scan 35mm slides, negatives and 6cm x 22cm medium-format panoramic film.  Enlargements from film 6400 DPI and a 3.4 DMAX for 35mm Enlargements up to 17″x22″.  Digitial ICE® Technology removes many surface defects from film and prints.

We have Vivid-Pix Restore imaging software that can restore scanned prints, slides, documents, and digital camera images in seconds.

Microform (film and fiche) reader and scanner where scans can be saved to your own device (memory stick) on the attached computer or printed on one of our printers – $0.25 each.

Sale of USB sticks $10.00.  Whether you find an obituary on Newspaper Archive international edition, a microfilm or microfiche document or other documents, you can scan it to USB or print it on our photocopier.  If you have forgotten your USB stick, we have them available.

We have a black and white photocopier on site – cost is $0.25 per side
Copies can also be sent to a printer from any of the computers – $0.25 per side
Scanning of material owned or copyrighted by MGS is same cost as copier – $0.25
Documents can be scanned using our photocopier and saved to a memory stick – $0.25

The MGS Library/Resource Centre provides members the opportunity to share in expanding the Society’s resources, with special emphasis on Manitoba sources.

Projects which are available include:
Index of obituaries from local newspapers.
Index of Anglican Baptisms and Marriages.
Index of United Church Sacramental Registers.
Index of the Manitoba Census.
Cemetery Transcriptions.

A lot of material could be damaged by food or beverages, so neither is allowed in the main Library. There is a small lunchroom if you wish to have a coffee break, and a small refrigerator if you want to bring your lunch. Any food or beverages must be consumed in the lunchroom. Off site, there are several places to eat in the immediate vicinity. There are many restaurants on St. James Street towards Polo Park Shopping Centre.