Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest Online are separate group purchases by those New Hampshire public libraries that wish to offer the database to their patrons for in-library use only.
Until a few years ago, the HQO database was a standalone collection of US Census records that were indexed by Proquest for head of household only. While the collection may have been considered by some to be less comprehensive than the Ancestry records, some genealogists found value in a second set of records with different indexing.
A few years ago, Proquest ceased using their independent collection of records and now uses the Ancestry records. The US Census records and indexing are now identical; however...
ALE is the global edition of the commercial Ancestry.com -- with one very important difference. As there is only a single account for an entire community, it is impossible for library patrons to create their own account and save their records on a family tree. Library patrons must download the records, take screenshots, and/or manually create a family tree independent of ALE.
Tip: If you have never viewed the Card Catalog in ALE, search for a location by title to find lesser known collections.
Librarians can run usage reports from the library network by following the reporting links. Note that the IP address for the library network must be submitted to the vendor to collect these statistics.
https://ancestrylibrary.proquest.com/localadminweb/aleusagereport/do/report
https://www.heritagequestonline.com/localadminweb/hqousagereport/do/report
Both Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest Online can be set up to allow for no-login access from the library's network. As of January 2022, remote access to the ALE database will no longer be allowed and all users must be on the library's network to use ALE.
Visit https://ancestrylibrary.com from your library network (i.e. while at the library).
Are you given access to the site or presented with a login?
If you are presented with a login, your library’s IP address may have changed.
Find out your IPv4 address:
The best way to do so is to visit https://whatismyip.com
Submit the new IP address to Proquest:
Visit Proquest’s Submit a Case.
Select “Proquest Databases…” from the service/platform option.
[Next]
Product: Ancestry Library Edition
Case type: Authentication
Priority: Medium
Provide your contact information and include a statement about needing to update your library’s IP address in the description box. Be sure to include the IP address.
For technical support on the Ancestry Library Edition database, submit a case with the vendor at
The purpose of this assignment is to motivate librarians without previous experience in genealogy to learn more about this area of research with the goal that NH public librarians are able to provide general genealogy assistance to their patrons.
This assignment can be done as self-study or as a group project. Librarians are encouraged to find a similar subject to study from their own communities for their own patron genealogy workshops.
Please contact the Technology Consultant for genealogy training. The training can be an informal overview of the genealogy databases (available through a statewide group purchase) over Zoom or in-person staff or co-op training.
The new StoryScout box in ALE and HQO is problematic and confusing for some patrons. It leads searchers toAncestry.com where they are not logged in to do more searches.
Instead, remind patrons to start with a census search:
Find marketing materials from Proquest for ALE and HQO:
https://about.proquest.com/en/customer-care/genealogy-marketing-toolkit/
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the New Hampshire State Library.