today ellis island is a museum. you can see pictures of what the immigrants and the ships looked like. you can also listen to recorded interview of some the immigrants as they tell stories about what it was like to come to this country. in spring 2001, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation started offering a new service. you can now trace your ancestor' records. Among other things, you can find out the name of the ship they came on, how old they were, and what nationality they were. of course there is a fee for this service, but for many people it is worth it to find out more about their family members' first days in the new world.