Genealogical societies are often one of the most overlooked, reasonably priced resources available to researchers -- a shame, considering what they have to offer, primarily in the form of sources and research tools specific to their area of interest. With the growth of Internet, many societies have a web page offering visitors a look at the society. Some sites may just have information about joining, others may include databases, results of ongoing member projects, locality background, and other resources of interest.

There are a number of different types of societies; each has a specific goal and area of coverage:

• local (city or region)
• county
• state
• national
• international
• lineage
• ethnic
• area-specific (out of the country)
• historical
• specialty (such as royalty, medieval, and civil war reenactment groups)
• surname-specific