A few suggestions for search success
By DONNA MURRAY ALLEN
Published July 1, 2004
Last week's column focused on the tendency to forget that actual human beings are the recipients of the requests we mail to libraries and other agencies.
The librarian who vented sent along her recommendations for eliciting favorable responses from those in the trenches.
Although these suggestions center on libraries, they also apply to courthouses, archives and other repositories.
1. Write to the library and ask if it has enough staff to respond to genealogical questions.
2. Ask for its fee structurefor research and duplication. Those fees are set by the library. If your hometown library or genealogical society conducts research for free, it may be because it has a larger budget, more staff or volunteers to do research.
3. Expect to pay in advance. Libraries have gotten stuck with unpaid invoices after completing research, making copies and mailing them. Even though costs were agreed upon upfront, the individuals never reimbursed the library. And remember, results are not guaranteed.
4. Do not send three pages of "begatting." A paragraph summary is usually enough for the staff to determine if it can help. Be sure to include the reasons you think your ancestral line was in that locale. Reference the library's online catalog if there is a related work on your family.
5. If the library agrees to do research, send a detailed summary or charts. Include references you have searched, successfully or unsuccessfully. Repeating your search wastes the staff's time and your money.
6. Always send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with correspondence until you're notified that it isn't necessary. Public libraries have had budget cuts and are trying to reduce costs.
7. Many libraries will not loan material from local history collections because most of that material is irreplaceable. The staff generally does not have time to photocopy everything.
8. Request the names and contact information for local genealogical or historical societies. Many run a free query column in their newsletter that may lead you to others researching similar lines. Some members are willing to conduct research for the cost of photocopies.
9. Ask for contact information for area agencies or specialty libraries, researchers or family associations that might not be noted in larger resource directories. Librarians may not be able to help from within their collection, but they can be a wonderful resource for referrals. Local knowledge is a great thing.
10. A simple thank you is always appreciated by the staff. Compliments, especially those made in writing, may be factors in an annual employee evaluation. They won't necessarily mean a raise, but they will let people know that what they do for a living is of benefit and is appreciated by someone.
Read past Donna Murray Allen columns online at www.sptimes.com Type "Donna Murray Allen" in the search box. You can write to Allen c/o Floridian, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail her at rootscolumn@yahoo.com Her Web site: www.rootsdetective.com includes information on classes and lectures.