the genealogical reference interview
TRANSCRIPT
The Genealogical Reference Interview
Nicole Wedemeyer Miller, Adjunct Lecturer
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The Genealogists
• Wide range of goals, motivations,
educational levels, and knowledge of
library use.
How they roll…
• They want to hear it, not read it.
• They start narrow and then expand.
• They want name access.
• Many need instruction on how to research.
(per research of Elizabeth Yakel)
Because…
• have not researched or haven’t in decades
• may lack computer skills
• might need a referral to a source of extra
help.
This is a golden opportunity!
You can recruit brand new library patrons.
1. First Contact
• Body language & smile
• Sitting vs. standing or circulating
• Greeting
The Greeting
• NOT “How may I help you?”
instead:
“What may I help you find today?”
and later…
“Let me get you started by…”
2. Establishing the contexts
It takes information to get information.
A name plus…
• Geographic—where they lived
• Chronological—when they lived
• Socioeconomic—how they lived
“My grandfather Bob Smith lived in
Tuskegee, Alabama.”
No Assumptions!
“Was his full name Robert Smith?”
“No, it was Bobby Joe Smith.”
Geographical Context
• Boundaries shift, place names change.
• People move.
Georeference Tools
• Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
• Geographic Names Information System
(GNIS)
• Old U.S. Post Office Guides
• Many gazetteers and place name
dictionaries
• For Europe: JewishGen Gazetteer
Chronological Context
• Check SSDI for birth/death dates
• Also, ask questions to get a ballpark date.
• Is what they know enough to locate an
online tree with more/better dates?
• Who else could the patron ask in the
family?
Socioeconomic Context
• Profession
• Income level
• Ethnicity
• Sometimes it can be inferred if the other
two contexts are known.
Hit the brakes
• This is NOT a fast process.
• A typical negotiation takes 20 minutes!
3. Narrow the Focus
The Newbie
• “ I want to do my genealogy!”
Strategies
• How-to material
• FGS
• The packet
• How-to programming
• Genealogical society info.
The Gusher
This patron launches into The Story…
Strategies
• Try to fill in a pedigree chart as the patron
talks.
• Take notes.
• Shift the interview from a spoken to a
written exchange.
The Family History Reference
Question Sheet
The Optimist
• “Where’s the book with my family history?”
Strategies
• Explain how to find out if a genealogy has
been published on the patron’s family (or an
article, or a surname file, or an online tree).
• Give a lesson on message boards.
• Explain how to tell if the information is likely
to be good or not.
Search Vs. Research
• Many patrons do not understand the
difference.
The Disorganized
• The patron has a lot of stuff.
• The patron does not know exactly what
he/she has.
• The patron does not know how to make
sense of what he/she has.
Strategies
• Produce research checklists and explain
how he can inventory what he has found.
• Offer organizational information.
“Manage Your Genealogy Papers”
• Research logs
• Evernote
• genealogical software programs
• online trees
The Wounded
• Missing family members
• Black sheep/embarrassing events
• Genealogy as healing therapy
Strategies
• Privacy
• Empathy
• Confidentiality
• Careful referrals
• Outlets http://ibssg.org/blacksheep/
The Monopolizer
• The patron who is absolutely determined
to take every single minute of your desk
time.
Strategies
• Defer part of the question to another day.
• Schedule a one-on-one for another day.
• Cite your policy.
• Suggest a professional researcher.
The Shootist
• “What do you have about the Smiths?”
Strategy
• “If you could find just one thing about this
family today, what would it be?”
4. Identifying the Sources
• Look within your collection.
• Look at online sources.
• Look at other collections.
To Determine Record Groups
• Show patron the wiki at FamilySearch for his research location.
• Sketch out a quick timeline of the records available for his location and time period.
|----California Births 1905-1997-------------------------|
|----California Deaths 1905-1997----------------------|
|State Census 1900-15|
|U.S. Census 1900-1940--|
Online Sources
• Cyndi’s List
• Linkpendium
• Joe Beine’s lists
Hand them a compass
• U.S. Genweb
• Ancestry Red Book
• Locality Guide
• Find contact info. of largest public library in
their research locality
What if I’m clueless?
• Ask a co-worker
• Genealib listserv
• FHL wiki/volunteers
• Local societies
• Town historians
• www.eogen.com
• Stack Exchange, Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, Reddit
Sensei
• Do we teach them to fish, or hand them a
fish?
Recap
1. First Contact
2. Establish the contexts.
3. Narrow the focus.
4. Recommend sources.
5. Make a referral.
End with the positive
More than the building and the collection,
the staff is the library to the patron.