Searching Primary Sources: A Personal Approach
Project Overview
“Most people wonder from time to time about the lives their ancestors led—the clothes -they wore, the work they did, how their homes were furnished, what kinds of transportation they used, what kinds of fun they had. Many have gained great satisfaction by going a bit farther than wondering—by writing a family history. A family history can present a more complete picture of your family’s past than any heirloom can....By writing a family history, you can come close to recreating your ancestors’ lives—to know them better, to discover your roots, and to learn how you are both different from and like them.”
Pav,Anton. (1998). Write a Family History…And Discover Yourself. WRITING!. Nov/Dec. , 1998
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SOH3679-0-4391&searchkey=&artno=0000185573&type=ART
This RWLO will provide instruction for starting the exploration of students’ family history. Small steps towards taking a genealogical journey. In their research they will use a free database , Ancestry Library Edition , which is readily available in Public Libraries across the country. Here in the greater Cleveland Area access to the database is free with an activated “GREATER ACCESS LIBRARY CARD.”
To implement in other geographical areas in the United States see the PROCEDURE component of this RWLO.
Searching Primary Sources: A Personal Approach
Student Learning Objectives
For this RWLO, the student will be able to:
· Become aware of some online Primary Resources
· Learn some techniques/options for searching Archived Primary Resources
· Learn to evaluate retrieved information with information from family interviews to determine if is relevant to their family
· Learn available and unavailable information in online resource/s with archived material
· Learn some search options online databases offer to the searcher and how to select the appropriate search option/s to use for best results
Searching Primary Sources: A Personal Approach
Procedure
Time: Approximately 45 minutes
Materials: Computer with an Internet connection
Prerequisites: How to use an internet Browser
Implementation: This RWLO can be used as an out-of class assignment unit in classes for sociology and history to introduce students to information retrieval from archived records and primary sources in online databases. It can be expanded to do a research project using the student’s personal history.
Steps:
1. Each student will interview a family member
noting, events like death, marriage, death, and geographical places, military service and surnames.
2. Each student’s valid Cleveland Public Library card or valid library card from another CLEVNET library or a Cuyahoga County Public Library entitles the student to:
· Access the s Ancestry Library Edition (Must be in the Library to use with GREATER ACCESS LIBRARY CARD +PIN )
· This RWLO will provide instruction for starting the exploration of the students’ family history. A small step toward taking a genealogical journey. The research will use a free that is accessible without a fee. Access to the is free with an activated “GREAT ACCESS LIBRARY CARD “ The is Ancestry Library Edition (Must be in the Library to use with GREATER ACCESS LIBRARY CARD +PIN )
· For other Geographical areas throughout the country
· Click the following link to locate the public library in your geographical area with Ancestry Library Edition by city , state (bottom of page ) or county
· http://www.publiclibraries.com
· Examples : Click -Michigan , Grand Rapids, s , Ancestry| library edition
· Click -Los Angelos, Oakland, Online Resources, Articles and s, Online Resources, Articles and , Genealogy, AncestryLibrary – public records and genealogy tools for the family historian. Emphasis on immigrant lists, passenger lists, and other public documents. This is available at the Main and branch libraries, but not outside library facilities.
Searching Primary Sources: A Personal Approach
Content Material
Student Directions:
1. Apply for a public “GREATER ACCESS “library card. This can be done in person at the library systems of Cleveland Public Libraries , CLevenet Consortium Libraries , and Cuyahoga County Public Libraries
2. Go to any Cleveland Public Library (CPL), Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) OR CLEVENET Library Consortium to apply for card and pin in person . See the map and library listings and locations for CPL at http://www.cpl.org/clevnet-library-consortium.asp for Clevenet Library Consortium http://www.cpl.org/branch-libraries.asp for Cuyahoga County Public Library system locations click http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/branchespages/branches.htm
At the library with your Greater Access Library Card
Go to a computer terminal
Logon =enter your LIBRARY CARD NUMBER
On the Library’s computer desktop click on the IE internet explorer icon
The following screen images are inactive and are only to guide you .
SCREEN 1 “Cleveland Public Library “
Click Databases & Links Library
SCREEN 2
Research Databases
· Click the letter A
Scroll down and Click the database :
· Ancestry Library Edition
Inside the DATABASE Ancestry Library Edition
Screen 1 appears in the database Select advanced search
Screen 2 appears in the database .
Fill out the form , drop down menus select all record types (simultaneously searches digitized Census, Marriage , Birth , Death , Military records) , select appropriate country and state then click the search button on the bottom right corner of the form..
.
Screen 3 This Screen is showing your Search Results. Each line is a link to
click on and open. When opened, record/s will be displayed. Select one that
matches information of a person (name, dates, places, events ) you obtained
from your family interview/s .
.
Open a link from the list on the results page , print a CENSUS IMAGE DOCUMENT (even if you cannot match names , dates , and events with information you obtained from your family interviews ) and bring to class .
Above is an example of a print out of a CENSUS IMAGE DOCUMENT. This is what you will retrieve from Ancestry Library Edition database and bring to class .
Searching Primary Sources: A Personal Approach
Assessment
The student assignment will be assessed according to the following rubric .
Student Assignment / Score(points )
The student successfully obtains a “GREATER ACCESS “ Library Card + PIN / 5
The student successfully accesses and searches Ancestry Library Edition database and brings to class a print out of a census document page displaying the heading : (example: TWELFTH CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES , SCHEDULE No 1 ) / 10
The student successfully accesses and searches Ancestry Library Edition
database and brings to class a print out of a census document page displaying the heading : (example: TWELFTH CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES , SCHEDULE No 1 ) and identify a family member in the census document and support the family member’s identification with documentation (birth certificate , death certificate , and
marriage license or family oral history ) 20points / 20
TOTAL / 35
Searching Primary Sources: A Personal Approach
Links to Course Competencies
This RWLO could be applied in the following courses: History, Social Sciences, Information Literacy, Research, and others. Specifically, this RWLO meets the following course competencies for Information Literacy .
· Recognizing primary sources and the information retrieved
· Using primary documents in research
· Evaluating retrieved Information and it’s relevancy to any inquiry being investigated
· Applying critical thinking and analysis to information located and retrieved to document its accuracy and appropriateness to the inquiry being investigated
Searching Primary Sources: A Personal Approach
Supplementary Resources
· 1. Read the article How-To Get Started Tracing Your Family Tree:
· You have a little knowledge about your family history, a few old photos and a
consuming curiosity. Follow these basic steps to get started on your family
Interview a family member and record birth dates, look at death certificates for
dates, geographical places, military service and other events .
· . Read RESEARCH GUIDANCE for “Family Search at http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Search/RG/frameset_rg.asp
· http://www.familysearch.org/
Searching Primary Sources: A Personal Approach
Recommendations
Recommendations for Integration:
This RWLO can be used as a lesson unit inserted into an English, Sociology, History, or Information Literacy class.
It is an out-of class assignment and can address such technological challenges as unreliable and/or no internet access capability in the classroom.
Also, this RWLO may be expanded and used in conjunction with a class doing a research project or research paper.
Read the following report. Click here to download or purchase a print copy of the report. OCLC ,Online Computer Library Center , has just published Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources. This report to the OCLC membership summarizes findings of an international study on information-seeking habits and preferences. Perceptions reports on a study across six countries to help us learn more about library use .
Use the findings to create and integrate this RWLO as a unit in most Humanities lesson plans for:
· Library use
· Awareness and use of library electronic resources
· The Internet search engine, the library and the librarian
· Free vs. for-fee information
· The “Library” brand
BACKUP: If Ancestry Library Edition is temporarilu unavailable
instructors can use HeritageQuest Online (Library Card # and pin , remote access = not required to be in library)
HeritageQuest Online features three significant genealogy resources: The complete U. S. Census, 1790-1930, features new and more accurate indexes (in progress), searchable by place of birth, age, ethnicity
etc. (Click on the “What’s New” link in the to determine which indexes
Have been completed.) The fully searchable Periodical Source Index (PERSI)
Features more than 1.6 million citations from 6,500 genealogy periodicals.
HeritageQuest’s online collection of more than 25,000 family and local history books are searchable by every word.
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