the genealogical reference interview
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
The Genealogical Reference Interview
Nicole Wedemeyer Miller, Adjunct Lecturer
![Page 2: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
These slides are available on
www.slideshare.net
![Page 3: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
The Genealogists
• Wide range of goals, motivations,
educational levels, and knowledge of
library use.
![Page 4: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
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)
![Page 5: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Because…
• have not researched or haven’t in decades
• may lack computer skills
• might need a referral to a source of extra
help.
![Page 6: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
This is a golden opportunity!
You can recruit brand new library patrons.
![Page 7: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
1. First Contact
• Body language & smile
• Sitting vs. standing or circulating
• Greeting
![Page 8: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
The Greeting
• NOT “How may I help you?”
instead:
“What may I help you find today?”
and later…
“Let me get you started by…”
![Page 9: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
2. Establishing the contexts
It takes information to get information.
![Page 10: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
A name plus…
• Geographic—where they lived
• Chronological—when they lived
• Socioeconomic—how they lived
![Page 11: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
“My grandfather Bob Smith lived in
Tuskegee, Alabama.”
![Page 12: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
No Assumptions!
“Was his full name Robert Smith?”
“No, it was Bobby Joe Smith.”
![Page 13: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Geographical Context
• Boundaries shift, place names change.
• People move.
![Page 14: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
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
![Page 15: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
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?
![Page 16: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Socioeconomic Context
• Profession
• Income level
• Ethnicity
• Sometimes it can be inferred if the other
two contexts are known.
![Page 17: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Hit the brakes
• This is NOT a fast process.
• A typical negotiation takes 20 minutes!
![Page 18: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
3. Narrow the Focus
![Page 19: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
The Newbie
• “ I want to do my genealogy!”
![Page 20: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Strategies
• How-to material
• FGS
• The packet
• How-to programming
• Genealogical society info.
![Page 21: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
The Gusher
This patron launches into The Story…
![Page 22: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Strategies
• Try to fill in a pedigree chart as the patron
talks.
• Take notes.
• Shift the interview from a spoken to a
written exchange.
![Page 23: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
The Family History Reference
Question Sheet
![Page 24: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
The Optimist
• “Where’s the book with my family history?”
![Page 25: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
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.
![Page 26: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Search Vs. Research
• Many patrons do not understand the
difference.
![Page 27: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
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.
![Page 28: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
Strategies
• Produce research checklists and explain
how he can inventory what he has found.
![Page 29: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
• Offer organizational information.
“Manage Your Genealogy Papers”
![Page 30: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
• Research logs
• Evernote
• genealogical software programs
• online trees
![Page 31: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
The Wounded
• Missing family members
• Black sheep/embarrassing events
• Genealogy as healing therapy
![Page 32: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
Strategies
• Privacy
• Empathy
• Confidentiality
• Careful referrals
• Outlets http://ibssg.org/blacksheep/
![Page 33: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
The Monopolizer
• The patron who is absolutely determined
to take every single minute of your desk
time.
![Page 34: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
Strategies
• Defer part of the question to another day.
• Schedule a one-on-one for another day.
• Cite your policy.
• Suggest a professional researcher.
![Page 35: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
The Shootist
• “What do you have about the Smiths?”
![Page 36: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
Strategy
• “If you could find just one thing about this
family today, what would it be?”
![Page 37: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
4. Identifying the Sources
• Look within your collection.
• Look at online sources.
• Look at other collections.
![Page 38: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
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--|
![Page 39: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
Online Sources
• Cyndi’s List
• Linkpendium
• Joe Beine’s lists
![Page 40: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
Hand them a compass
• U.S. Genweb
• Ancestry Red Book
• Locality Guide
• Find contact info. of largest public library in
their research locality
![Page 41: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
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
![Page 42: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
Sensei
• Do we teach them to fish, or hand them a
fish?
![Page 43: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
Recap
1. First Contact
2. Establish the contexts.
3. Narrow the focus.
4. Recommend sources.
5. Make a referral.
![Page 44: The Genealogical Reference Interview](https://reader034.vdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022051521/5a67035e7f8b9a91298b5475/html5/thumbnails/44.jpg)
End with the positive
More than the building and the collection,
the staff is the library to the patron.