Midwest Genealogy Center Building

The Midwest Genealogy Center opened in June 2008. The largest free-standing public genealogy library in the United States boasts 52,000 square feet of resources for family history researchers. Last year, 98,820 patrons visited this library.

Midwest Genealogy Center Grand Opening

The Midwest Genealogy Center was listed in the Top 10 Public Libraries for Genealogists by Family Tree magazine, opening a new facility in 2008.

Midwest Genealogy Center Staff

The knowledgeable and experienced staff are always willing and available to assist researchers. Additional services provided by the Genealogy staff and volunteers include tours, classes, and expert appointments.

Midwest Genealogy Center Interior

This building, an award-winning architectual design, houses over 5,000 periodicals, 79,000 reference books as well as 16,000 circulation books, 470,000 microfilm/fiche, and an abundance of maps and archival materials.

Genealogy Blogs

Recording Oral Histories

MCPL is sponsoring NPR’s StoryCorps MobileBooth, which will record interviews in Kansas City from September 9—October 2, 2010.  These stories are being sent to the Library of Congress and will eventually be available online.  To learn about recording your own story, a Recording Oral Histories workshop will be held at the Midwest Genealogy Center on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 1:30 p.m .  The speaker, Mark Meisenheimer, is a professional producer of recorded family histories and will teach participants techniques for taping their own oral history.  See

In the Beginning... (or Let's Begin Again)

Are you just starting on your genealogy quest? Maybe, you’ve been at it for years and have just hit a roadblock. Perhaps, you used to do genealogy and are trying to get back into the swing of things. If you fit into any of these categories, then you might consider attending a Beginning Genealogy class at the Midwest Genealogy Center. Most of our staff members teach the beginning course, and everyone teaches it a little bit differently. But no matter which class you attend, you will learn (or perhaps re-learn) the basic principles of genealogy.

MGC's Irish Expert Retires

Maria, our wonderful Irish expert, has retired.  But never fear - she will be coming back to do Irish appointments after a needed time away.  Look for her Irish Expert appointments to continue later this year.  Maria joined the genealogy staff of Mid-Continent Public Library in November 2004.  A native of Dublin, Ireland, she quickly began using her knowledge of Ireland and its records to help researchers find their Irish ancestors.  The one-on-one appointments have always been the favorite part of her job and often led to tears of both the patron and Maria, as

From Angels to Hellcats: A Book Review

History is full of the stories of men, their wars, and conquests, but less often does one hear of the women who have helped to mold history. From Angels to Hellcats, tells the stories of some of Texas’  legendary women, both famous and infamous. The first woman’s life to be examined is Susanna Dickinson, who, along with her fifteen-month old daughter, survived the Alamo.

The Bus Stops Here!

The Metro has added a bus stop at the Midwest Genealogy Center!  The new Metro #286-Silver Route provides Tuesday and Thursday service from five other points in Independence, including the Independence MetroCenter, Olde Oak Tree Apartments, Noland Road & 39th, Social Security Administration, and Centerpoint Medical Center. Transfer options are available at the Independence MetroCenter, at the #284-Purple Route at 35th & Noland Rd. (Old Oak Tree Apartments), and at the #183-Green Route at Centerpoint.