Searching For Birth Mother | Searching For Adoptee

The Public Library is a great resource if you are searching for your birth mother or searching for an adoptee. 

Not convinced?  Here’s just one example of how a library can help you when searching for your birth mother: 

If you were adopted in New York City and have your amended (adopted) birth certificate, you can obtain your original birth name by visiting the New York Public Library Genealogy Department.  This department has original birth listings (in birth books and on microfiche) dating back many years.  With the last four digits of your amended birth certificate number and your date of birth, you can find your original, pre-adoption birth listing and birth name.  (Warning, our OmniTrace staff searches the New York birth indexes often and a search can take several hours to complete.) 

Here is a sample page of the New York Birth Index: 

NYC Birth Index Page 

(You’ll need Adobe Reader to view this.)  You can download Adobe here: 

Adobe Reader

Perhaps we have your attention now on how a library can help you with your search. 

If you are an adoptee searching for your birth mother, you will want to contact the County Library where your adoption took place.  Also, if you have information on your birth mother, such as where she was from, you’ll want to contact the County Library in that geographical vicinity as well.

If you are a birth mother searching for an adoptee, you should contact the County Library where the adoption took place.  And, if you have information on the adopting parents, such as their names and where they were from, you’ll want to contact the County Library in that geographical vicinity.    

Of course, if your search is not adoption related–perhaps you are searching for an old friend–the library can help you too.  You’ll want to contact the County Library located where the subject and/or the subject’s family members were last residing. 

(Please note:  Contacting city libraries may also help with your search.) 

When contacting a library, you should ask for the reference department.  This is where you’ll find many resources that can help you with your search.  (Please note:  Many reference departments have separate genealogy departments.) 

Speak with a reference librarian and say you are searching for your birth mother or searching for an adoptee–make sure they are not too busy and can give you their full attention.  Reference librarians have great skills when it comes to research and you’ll be amazed at how helpful they can be–and their search expertise is FREE!     

Here are possible resources the librarian might research or point out to you:

• Old and current telephone and city directories

• Reverse directories

• Newspaper databases

• Free Internet access

• Genealogy records - including birth indexes

• Genealogy databases - such as Ancestry 

• Trade Organizations and professional association directories

• Business directories

• Legal directories

• Adoption agency directory

• CD Rom National Phone Directories

Make sure you are courteous and thankful to the librarian who assists you.  It’s good to be polite and you may need their assistance more than once. 

Here is a link to find nearly every Public Library in the USA:  Library Finder

We hope this post has demonstrated how valuable the Public Library system can be when searching for your birth mother or searching for an adoptee.