This presentation provides librarians with an overview of how to help genealogists in their research. It discusses that genealogists can be intimidating for librarians due to the open-ended nature of their questions. However, the presentation provides tips for librarians to gain a basic understanding of genealogical sources and processes. It also offers guidance on how to structure reference interviews to best assist genealogists and identify the resources needed to answer their questions. Finally, the presentation provides ideas for programming that libraries can offer to attract and instruct genealogists in using available research materials and tools.

1. Everything Librarians Need to
Know about Helping
Genealogists…
But Were Afraid to Ask!
Presented by Nicole Wedemeyer Miller, Adjunct Lecturer

2. This presentation is based on the book Fostering
Family History Services: A Guide for
Librarians, Archivists, and Volunteers, co-
written with Rhonda L. Clark, and published by
Libraries Unlimited.

3. Why are librarians afraid of genealogists?
• Their questions go on all day, if you can
even find their question.
• They are attempting complex research,
but often know nothing about how to
research.
• If you answer one question for them, then
they ask 100 more.
• In short, they are needy.

4. Another small detail…
“I don’t know anything about genealogy!”

5. Overcoming the fear factor
• Get a basic overview of what genealogists
are trying to do
• Start thinking outside the collection box
• Learn about the basic sources they use
• Understand how to negotiate the
genealogical reference question
• Get programming ideas

6. Why is it popular?
• Interest in American history
• The internet
• Television shows
• Celebrity angle
• Growing number of retirees

7. I. Defining Genealogy and Family History

8. Genealogy
It’s the study of the vital events in a family
that establish the family’s pedigree; or
linkages between generations. It’s the who,
what, and where.

9. Family history
It’s a more in-depth expression of
genealogy. It interweaves information from a
number of different fields into our ancestors’
life stories…It attempts to explain the how
and why of our ancestors’ lives.
“Joseph "Horace" Ryburn was the second oldest of five brothers and attended University High School
in Bloomington, Illinois. In 1892 he purchased 170 acres for $17,000 from Mr. Stewart, with a $5000
mortgage at four percent interest. He and his wife Estella moved to this property after they were
married in 1895, and always called it "The Home Place." Horace and Estella's first two children were
born there, Florence in 1898 and Madeline in 1900. In about 1902 the family moved to 1213 E.
Washington in Bloomington, because Horace had heart problems and so gave up farming. He bought
this house for $5000 and then made improvements such as installing French doors for the parlor, and
hardwood floors upstairs. The home had gas lighting, but electricity was installed later. There was a
water tank in the attic that used a hand pump from the basement to operate it. In the winter, the water
went through the furnace to supply hot water. In summer, hot water was heated on the stove.”

10. Linear vs. Cluster
Pelagia Saitta
|
Dorothy Rita McAvin
|
George A. Wedemeyer IV
|
Nicole Alaine Wedemeyer

11. Cluster Approach

12. Best Practice
• Work backwards.
• Don’t skip generations.
• Write down what you discover.
• Seek information in sources, as many as
possible.
• Any source can be flawed—be skeptical.

13. What to help them with:
• Finding information
• Understanding what they find—evaluating,
analyzing, translating, etc.
• Recording their conclusions

14. What’s a source?

15. Documents
• Vital records = BMD
• Census records
• Tax lists, voting records
• City directories
• Newspaper articles
• yearbooks

16. Asking relatives
Oral history interviews—try to prove the
information.

17. Recording & Organization
Traditional methods = printed forms
family group sheet

18. Pedigree chart

19. Source Checklist

20. Research Logs

21. Two basic systems
binders

22. file folders

23. Digital Systems
Genealogical software programs

24. Online trees

25. Evernote.com

26. Old system for notes

27. Photo sharing & digital history sites

28. Much info on how to organize
• Organize Your Genealogy: Strategies
and Solutions for Every Researcher by
Drew Smith
• YouTube
• Genealogy blogs

29. Questions?

30. II. Thinking Outside the
Collection Box

31. • Patrons need to research in many, many
locations and collections.
• Patrons have some information at home.
• Patrons can find some information online.
• Most patrons need to know “How do I
start?”

32. In addition to finding info…
• They need to analyze what they have.
• They need to organize what they have.
• They need to record and share what they
have.

33. Getting started strategies
Find out where they are in the research
process.
Just beginning, somewhere in the middle, or
in deep.

34. What to do with beginners
• Give/sell FGS and pedigree charts.
• Find them a basic how-to genealogy book.
• Give them a list of genealogy links or show
how to access online.
• Refer to the Family History Center and
other area research facilities.

35. What does the LDS Church have to do
with genealogy???

36. Click “Get Help” & “Contact us”

37. What to do with intermediate folks
• Show them the website which rates
genealogical software programs.

38. • Find them a how-to organize my research
book, website, etc.

39. Show them the genealogy style manual.

40. • Help them figure out how/where to find
research assistance in other localities.

41. Suggest information on evaluating and
analyzing sources.
o Look for free videos online, such as Family
Search’s “Learning Center.”
o Look at intermediate titles in appendix.
o Articles in genealogical periodicals

42. Veteran folks
• Archive Grid/DPLA & other new internet
bells and whistles
• Association of Professional Genealogists
• Call their attention to hot new genealogy
titles.
• Rootstech

43. What else can you use besides the
internet?
• History
o Encyclopedias, even old ones
o American Heritage
o 973s, but also lurking in the travel books,
910s
o Federal Writers’ Project American Guide
Series

45. Biographical Sources
• BGMI
o Who’s Who in the…series
o Professional directories
o Specialized encyclopedias, such as those
covering athletes, science, etc.
o Full-length biographies, autobiographies,
memoirs

46. Business & General Sources
• Corporate directories
• City directories
• Phone books
• Vertical files
• School yearbooks

47. Questions?

48. Take five!

49. III. Understanding Basic Sources

50. Government records and documents
o Federal
o State
o County
o Township/borough
o Municipal

51. Non-governmental records
• Religious institutions
• Businesses
• Social and fraternal organizations
• Educational institutions
• Commercially published books and
periodicals

52. What do they typically look for first?
• Vital records—birth, marriage, death,
divorce, and adoption
• Generated at the state, county, or
municipal level
• Could be found amongst home sources.

53. Ancestry Red Book, 3rd ed.
Accessible full text online on free part of
Ancestry.com:
http://www.ancestrylibrary.com/wiki/index.ph
p?title=Red_Book:_American_State,_Count
y,_and_Town_Sources

54. Always check Red Book information online.

55. Vital records only go back so far
• Available dates vary by state, and by
location within states
• Some didn’t begin until the early twentieth
century.

56. How to find available dates?
Go to familysearch.com wiki. Search under
the name of the locality. Look at summary
table.

57. U.S. Record Selection Table

58. Census Records
• Federal level
o Taken every ten years
o 1790-1940
o Available several places online including
Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest,
Familysearch.org, Mooseroots,etc.

59. Sample

60. Census Challenges
• Gaps—some are missing, especially 1890
• Incorrect information recorded
• Problems with the indexing
• Illegible handwriting
• U.S. Censuses before 1850 only list the
name of the head of the household

61. Obituaries/death notices
Times-Democrat, 1899 May 25, Pg. 2 col. 7

62. Obit challenges
• Obits from the mid-twentieth century can
be hard to find.
• Obits indexes may not exist for their
locality.
• OCR technology still not good enough.

63. City directories

64. Directory challenges
• Only some are online, and some online
ones are behind a paywall.
• Missing years
• They may be owned by an institution in a
far-away locality.
• Directories did not cover 100% of the
residents

65. Online
• Not everything is online.
• Over 90 percent is still offline.

66. Major categories of websites
• Subscription databases
o Ancestry
o Find my Past
o My Heritage
There are many more…

67. • Free websites--Institutional
o FamilySearch
o DAR
o Newberry
o Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne

68. • Free websites—Volunteer & User-Input
o Rootsweb
o U.S. Genweb
o Genealogy Trails

69. • Free websites—by individuals
o Joe Beine’s Death Records & Obit Index
Listings
o Tom Tryzinski’s Digitized newspapers
o Stephen Morse’s One Step Indexes

70. Best way to find websites?
• Cyndi’s List

72. What else is there?
• Federal Records
o Immigration & naturalization
o Military
o Land patents

73. Where are they kept?
• NARA, Washington D.C.
• And several regional NARA archives

74. What else?
• Religious records
• Maps & atlases
• Wills & probate records
• Archival records—letters, diaries,
pamphlets, ephemera
• photographs

75. Try
• WorldCat/Archive Grid
• Digital Public Library
• Websites of universities, local public
libraries & historical societies
• Telephone

76. Questions?

77. Take five!

78. IV. Negotiating genealogical
reference questions

79. • Mindset
• Facts about genealogists
• Breaking down the reference interview
• Referrals

80. Mindset
• “It’s exciting to watch history come alive
for researchers.”
• “Enjoy the process…”
• “Learn as well as teach.”
• “I do not have to be an expert genealogist
to provide good service.”

81. About Genealogists
• All ages, all genders, but skew towards 60
and over females.
• Most are hobbyists.
• They have a variety of research goals.
• They have a wide range of educational
levels and research abilities.
• They have a wide range of computer skills.

82. What they like
• They like a person to guide them, not
signage/written instructions.
• They like to find information by looking for
a name, but lots of information is arranged
by geographic location or record group.

83. Barriers to Service
• The library is only open during the day.
• None of the genealogical/local history
materials circulate.
• None of the staff have any family history
training.
• There is no service desk in the
genealogy/local history room, & no materials
are provided to guide independent usage of
this collection.

84. More barriers
• The collection is full of uncataloged
materials and Byzantine finding aids.
• The library website does not mention the
“g” word anywhere.
• fees

85. Reference Interview
• The greeting
o Non-verbal cues/attitude
o “Hello, what may I help you find today?”

86. Establishing the Contexts
• Geographical context: where they lived
• Chronological context: when they lived
• Socioeconomic context: their status in the
community

87. Questions to ask…
• What was your grandfather’s full name?
• Do you know the name of the town? Was it
Belleville, or just near Belleville?
• What did they do for a living?
• Where did they go to church?
• Do you know their ethnic background?

88. Dates can be elusive
• Try to nail down to at least a decade when
a family lived in a given location.
• If the patron doesn’t know, maybe he can
remember how old he was when a family
event occurred.
• Did any historical event occur when the
family was there?

89. To fill in contexts…
• Consult online trees, census records, and
local histories to try to verify/expand facts.
• Refer patron to home sources.
• Tap the oral traditions.

90. Narrow the focus
Try to head in the direction of a specific
question. This can be challenging for many
reasons.

91. Types of patrons
• The Newbie—doesn’t know where to start
o “One Quarter Rule”
o Find genealogical classes, both online and
live
o Refer to local genealogical or lineage
group

92. • The Gusher—talks non-stop
o Fill out pedigree chart during the
monologue
o Have him fill out a reference form

94. • The Confused—can’t articulate his
question
o Check on this patron often
o At least stroll nearby and make eye
contact

95. • The Optimist—is sure that someone else
has already written up his family
o Check WorldCat, GB, Internet Archive
o Check online trees
o Check PERSI
o Explain searching vs. research

96. • The Disorganized—has a bunch of stuff
which he can’t make head or tail of
o Remind this patron about organization
systems, software, & research logs.
o Offer information on how to analyze
sources.

97. • The Wounded—is motivated to do the
research because of an emotional issue.
o Offer privacy, discretion, reassurance.
o Make absolutely sure that referrals will be
helpful.
o Offer to correspond via email.

98. • The Monopolizer—asks constant, never-
ending questions. Will not work
independently.
o Can’t answer any more verbal questions
now, but you can leave another in writing.
o Schedule a one-on-one session.
o I can’t work with you more today, but you
could come in…

99. Identify Sources to Meet the Goal
• FHL 1-866-406-1830
• Genealib
• Local historical/genealogical society
• Town historians in NY or CT
• Eastman’s Encyclopedia of Genealogy
• Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
• Reddit, Stack Exchange

100. Last step: referrals
• Never guess; make it good.
• Verify via website or phone call.
• Provide contact information.
• Suggest materials to ILL.

101. Sensei
• Specific research skills like using online
catalogs, focusing a Google search, &
even locating a book on a shelf by call
number.
• what a source may contain
• Citing information
• Locating expert assistance

102. Questions?

103. V. Programming Ideas

104. Importance
• It attracts attention to your genealogical
reference service.
• It is an efficient way to instruct several
patrons at once—uber reference.
• It gets patrons in the door.
• It can be low cost and low fuss.

105. “How to Grow Your Family Tree”
• A basic how-to overview
o Define genealogy & family history
o Work backwards
o Linear vs. cluster
o Define a source
o Discuss home sources
o Recommend how-to titles and websites

106. o Tell them about local & regional places to
research
Presented by: a staff member, or a volunteer
from the genealogical society, DAR, or FHL.

107. The “Spotlight On” Program
• Pick a resource: reference tool, archival
collection, or online website/database
o Teach how it’s best used
o Present examples
o Save 10-15 minutes for questions
o Keep it at about an hour

108. “The Story of My Life”
• A children’s program
o Create a template that kids fill in with
information about themselves and their
families
o Use Dr. Seuss’ My Book about Me as
inspiration.

109. “Ask Granny”
• The materials for this program are free
and will be emailed to you.
o It can be held at the library, or at a senior
center or nursing home.
o If you encourage the participants to bring
grandchildren, it’s an intergenerational
event.

110. Ask Granny flyer

111. Email to request materials.

112. Reaching Out to Ethnic Groups
• Identify an ethnic group in your area, and
design a program to help them to do their
family history.
o Identify where they can find information
locally, and elsewhere in the U.S., such as
an ethnic genealogical society.
o Recruit someone to give an overview of
this group in your area—religious officiant
or a college instructor.

113. o Sponsor with another local group.
o Could lead to a fabulous oral history
project.
o Serve treats from ethnic restaurant/bakery.

114. Lagniappe
• Genealib listserv
• Dick Eastman’s blog
• Adventures in Genealogy Education blog
• Genealogy for Librarians Pre-conference

115. Questions?