Description: Italian Catholic Parish Records serve as foundational archives for historical demographics and genealogy in Italy. In this presentation, the speaker will highlight their significance by outlining the data contained in the records — baptismal, marriage, and burial registers from the 16th to 19th centuries. No other records in Italy contain as much of the day-to-day history of everyday people during that time period. Attendees will learn about parish record collections available to research, efforts to digitize more records, and resources and researchers who can assist. In addition, the speaker will discuss the accessibility of the records and the impact on contemporary research.