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