Visit the Oakland FamilySearch Center today!

This article was contributed by a local member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed may not represent the views and positions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For the Church's official site, visit churchofjesuschrist.org.
By Laurie Wolf
Oakland FamilySearch Center
The FamilySearch Center offers engaging free services that help visitors make fun personal and family discoveries, digitally preserve old records to then share their family memories.
The free Oakland FamilySearch Center is a great attraction if you:
• Are looking for a fun activity for people of all ages in your family or group.
• Have a lingering curiosity about your family’s history.
• Desire to see if you might be related to someone famous.
• Want to learn how to start filling in the missing ancestors in your family tree.
• Have some old family photos, videotapes, movies or reels, or correspondence you want to digitally preserve and share.
Start making plans to experience the amazing free services now available at the Oakland FamilySearch Center. There is something wonderful here for guests of all ages.
Oakland FamilySearch Center Activities and Resources
Visitors are sure to have quick success at the Oakland FamilySearch Center as they capitalize on FamilySearch’s vast historical resources and free access to premium online genealogy services. The Center offers 88 computers for patrons to do family history research, digitize media, and use in our computer learning lab. The center also has a large presentation room for groups.

The Center supports self-serve digitization of family memories of old photos, slides, scrapbooks, negatives, 8mm film, VHS videos, book scanning and audio cassettes.
All the digitization equipment can be reserved on the Oakland FamilySearch Center’s website.
It is recommended that you bring a portable memory drive (thumb, flash, or remote hard drive) to store your new digital files. No need to worry if you are technologically-challenged—the center’s staff of volunteers is ready to make your visit a success!
Family History Discovery Experiences
Individuals, families, youth, and special interest groups will enjoy discovering their family history and stories together using 8 interactive discovery stations loaded with fun experiences. These discovery stations include activities such as All About Me, Compare-a-Face, Picture My Heritage, My Famous Relatives, and Where I Come From.

Plan Your Visit!
The Center is free to use and welcomes walk-in visits. For the best personalized experiences, plan ahead. Create a free FamilySearch.org account and add what you know about your family in the FamilySearch Family Tree. Or come with a little extra time and the basics of what you already know about your ancestors, and staff will help get you started! An experienced group of volunteers, free parking and amazing resources await your visit. We are located downstairs the Visitor’s Center at Temple Hill. An elevator is also available.
4766 Lincoln Ave, Oakland, Ca. Just off Hwy 13 at Lincoln Avenue off-ramp. Phone: 510-531-3905.
For contact information, Center hours, and information about reserving equipment or bringing large groups, visit the Center website:
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Oakland_California_FamilySearch_Center
Visit the Oakland FamilySearch Center today!
