Dear Cuz's, Our Cuz Kathleen Pebley Winn just sent me this e-mail from Ancestry.com with great hints for summer research, thought I would forward it on!! Summer is a favorite travel time for everyone, and for family historians, it can mean research trips to large genealogical repositories or to a place where your ancestors lived. Whether it's a quick weekend event, or an extended visit, here are some tips to help you get the most from your excursion. Investigate Research Facilities If you're going to be visiting a major repository to do research, take some time before your trip to do a little pre-planning. Visit the website of the facility and learn about their policies and any restrictions they may have. There may be limitations on what you can bring into the research area, and you'll definitely want to make sure that the collections you want to use will be available at the time of your visit. There's nothing worse than traveling a long distance to a repository, only to find that the collections have been moved into storage during a renovation or reorganization. Check Catalogs and Brochures Have a research plan so that when you get to your destination, you're ready to dive right in to the collections. Check card catalogs before you go and record microfilm and call numbers for the records you want to search. That way you can spend your precious research time searching for ancestors, rather than searching the card catalog. Many libraries and archives even have online brochures that include collection overviews. The Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a great example of this. Check Online Collection Catalogs Another timesaver is to compare the collections you are interested in with online collections. That way you won't waste on-site time searching collections that you have access to through your Ancestry.com membership and can search from home anytime. The Card Catalog is a great way to remind yourself what's available for your area of interest. Mapping Your Route When you're visiting an ancestral hometown, you'll want to map out cemeteries, churches and other locations you'd like to visit. Online mapping services like MapQuest or GoogleMaps can help with this. For some features, you may want to try the U.S. Geological Service's Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Don't overlook the local municipality websites for other interesting information about the area. They may have detailed local maps and other helpful information for planning your trip. Other Considerations Since summer travel often brings us to the "land of the orange cones" it can be helpful to visit the websites of the city streets and sanitation department, or the state's department of transportation beforehand. This can alert you to road closures and help you avoid gridlocked roadways that could cut in on your research time. Try a search for [city or county] traffic. Supply List Here are some supplies that you might want to consider for your research bag. ~ Sharpened pencils and an eraser ~ Notebook for taking notes ~ Post-Its ~ Change for copies (Empty prescription bottles can be recycled for a convenient coin bank.) ~ A magnifying glass ~ Return address labels (You know those labels you're always getting in the mail? Use these to shorten the time it takes to fill out record request forms. They can also be used to label your belongings.) ~ Digital camera (Check for restrictions on use, but it can be handy to photograph records.) ~ Extra batteries for camera. ~ File folders for organizing copies Thank you Cuz Kathleen Pebley Winn Hugs Cuz B [email protected] http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ttg13/ "'Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain " ----- Original Message ----- From: Kathleen M. Winn To: Becky Thill & Family Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 11:30 AM Subject: Fw: Weekly Discovery: Summer Research Tips Good Morning: I just received this "Ancestry Weekly Discovery" Newsletter. It has some very good suggestions for folks planning research trips. I think it is important those of attending our "reunion" in September follow these tips in order to prepare ourselves. ~~Kathleen Pebley Winn