NSW public library wiki

Module 9 Family history (Reference Excellence)

Suggested answers for Module 9 exercises - Discuss the questions and your answers with your supervisor, trainer or colleagues.

Family history first contact

• Spend time learning how to use all the equipment in your family history section.
• Search for information from the day you were born.
• Are the user instructions clear and easy to follow?

Records and referral

1. What family history resources are in your library or available online?
2. How are your resources indexed or catalogued?
3. How are your resources arranged?
4. Choose two of the listed websites and search for your family name or your local town.
5. Is there a Family History Society nearby?
6. What are their hours and conditions of access?
7. What resources do they hold?

Talk with your supervisor, trainer or colleagues about your findings. Discuss with them which are the most used resources and why that might be.

Family history and local studies research

1. Does your library house the local studies collection separately from the family history collection?
2. Why or why not?
3. How would you use the family history collection to find out about local people or places?

Discuss your findings with your supervisor, trainer or colleagues.

Suggestion to develop your skills: -

• Look up the details of an ancestors' birth, death or marriage - this may be in national or international records. (Depending on the country, the records may not be public, so you might have to go further back in your family tree).

• Embrace family history enquiries.
• The reference interview skills you have developed, transfer to family history support.
• Keep up to date with relevant technology.
• Be aware of privacy issues relating to family history.

What to do when you finish the module…

When you have completed the exercises for this module, you may want to talk to your supervisor, trainer or colleagues about them.

Please fill out and submit the evaluation form

Reference Excellence - self paced reference and information services training

About Reference Excellence

Module 1 Overview of the reference process

Module 2 Reference interview skills and question types

Module 3 People skills, reference behaviours

Module 4 Search strategies

Module 5 Reference resources

Module 6 Ethics and legislation

Module 7 Roving reference

Module 8 Local studies

Module 9 Family history

Module 10 Children

Module 11 Young adults

Module 12 Corporate library services

Module 13 Technology reference services