Wow! Where do I start? Nancy Loe’s presentation on how to “Think Like an Archivist” reminded me that there are vast repositories of genealogical records just waiting out there for us to find. As genealogists, we frequently consider ourselves detectives searching for hidden records and information to solve our family mysteries. But how do we find what we are looking for when we overlook possible resources because we don’t know the magic words to access the very records that we need? The key, according to Nancy, is to know how to use online archival portals and finding aids.
Nancy’s presentation walked us through the steps needed to access various archival portals to locate genealogical treasures we didn’t even know existed. What are archives you ask? As defined by Nancy, they are “non-current records of individuals, groups, institutions, and governments that contain information of enduring value.” In other words, stuff you didn’t know existed, didn’t know how to find, and didn’t know how to access. Simple, right?
Archival collections can contain documents, manuscripts, family histories, vital records, keepsakes, family correspondence and photographs, albums and scrapbooks, and even personal diaries. The key to identifying and retrieving these records is to think like an archivist and this is where finding aids are vital. Nancy suggested using Google Advanced Search to help focus your research. Combining the word “portal” with a record type or geographic area will direct us to the websites with collections that we need. And, don’t overlook ArchiveGrid for finding aids in archives located around the world.
After listening to Nancy’s presentation, I accessed her website (www.sassyjanegenealogy.com) to check out her e-books and monthly newsletter. I purchased one and signed up for the other. My hope is that by doing a more in-depth dive into using archives, I’ll become more comfortable with this type of research. My hope is that I will be able to find a gem – or three – hidden away in an archive, library, or museum that would have never been on my radar before.
In my notes from Nancy’s talk, I wrote down something she said – Archivists can’t do our research for us, but they can point us in the right direction. What more could a genealogist ask for?