FamilySearch announced the release of a free new research tool that will help those with Finnish roots to find their ancestors. The research guide, Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Finland, features easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, colorful graphics, and tear-out worksheets.

The 37 page guide simplifies the research process and is a must-have reference tool for researchers of Finnish genealogy. It is designed for those who have already gathered some family history information about their Finland ancestors and are ready to search public and private records. Users will find simple instructions, examples, and removable pedigree and family group worksheets to help them capture what they already know about their families.

The guide explains different types of records in Finland and instructs the user when and how to use specific records. A real-life case study allows readers to see for themselves how the research process works. Expert search tips, including tips on how to use the Family History Library Catalog, are included. Also included are maps, key dates in Finnish history, and guides for reading Finnish genealogical records.

Additional guides in the Finding Records of Your Ancestors series published previously include African American, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, and Sweden.

Nineteen million documents stored in the archives of Russia’s Defence Ministry have been digitalised. The aim of the project was to help people find relatives killed or never found during World War II.

Now, the website www.obd-memorial.ru (in Russian ; via Google Translate) allows people looking for their lost friends and relatives to carry out their own investigations into what happened.

Records include not only the name, date and place of birth and death, but also scans of original documents.

Hundreds of libraries and archives exist online, from university-supported sites to individual efforts. Each one has something to offer to researchers, students, and teachers. This list contains over 250 libraries and archives that focus mainly on localized, regional, and U.S. history, but it also includes larger collections, eText and eBook repositories, and a short list of directories to help you continue your research efforts.

The sites listed here are mainly open access, which means that the digital formats are viewable and usable by the general public.

The Medieval Manuscripts in Dutch Collections database contains descriptions of all medieval western manuscripts written in Latin script and produced up to c. 1550 now preserved in public and semi-public collections in the Netherlands.

These include the collections of libraries, museums and archives, as well as the collections of monastic orders and some other private institutions that are open to researchers.

The Vision of Britain through Time web site provides a window into the Great Britain Historical GIS -- which stands for "Geographical Information System". The GB Historical GIS is a description of Britain and its localities, showing how they have changed through the centuries.

For most European countries emigration and immigration have been important factors in their history. Historians have  always studied these population movements, but it is not so clear what place the history of migration has occupied in  Europe. The impact of migration is probably underestimated in history teaching, and little or no attention is paid to the role of immigrants and emigrants in the history of the community.

The Baedeker's Old Guide Books web site has a collection of old maps that will be an aid to genealogists and local historians. The maps are scanned from various Baedeker Guidebooks which were published before 1939.