Gwen Kelley, a librarian who specializes in genealogy and local history, will lead a seminar that focuses on genealogy and Facebook for family researchers, at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

This event is free of charge and is open to the public. There is no registration.

According to Kelley, there are hundreds of Facebook groups and pages which cover genealogy research in a specific county, a country, or a region such as FamilySearch’s Genealogy Research Communities. They can also cover specific surnames to federation-like groups such as the Guild of One-Name Studies, specific historical and/or genealogical societies or the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and even pages or groups for popular genealogy websites and tools such as Cyndi’s List Facebook Page.

One of the most unique benefits of Facebook for genealogy--because of the vast numbers of users--is the ability to connect with long-lost relatives. Users can start with descendancy research on a family tree. When a living relative is discovered, users can try typing their names into Facebook, and can make a connection.

In addition to finding relatives, Facebook is helpful for reaching a wide range of relatives who would not otherwise take an interest--or even those who would.