Preparing for Offline Research

At some time throughout your research, you will most likely visit a library, archives, or other location to look for information on your family. Your research trip will be a lot more productive if you do your homework beforehand, regardless of where you go.

Preparing to Visit an Archive

Call beforehand to confirm the days and hours of operation. Make certain you ask about:

directions
special requirements such as needing a photo ID for access
whether you need to sign up in advance to use computers, microfilm readers, etc.
what materials you are allowed to bring with you – some libraries and archives only allow pencils and paper, others will allow cameras, laptops, etc.
fees such as usage and photocopying fees
parking locations and fees

Put together your research bag. Be careful to adhere to the library’s or archives’ policies about what you are permitted to bring with you on your visit. Include family group sheets, a list of research questions, additional pencils, blank research forms, a magnifying glass or bar, Kleenex, and money/bankcard for photocopying. You may also wish to bring (if permitted) a laptop and/or a digital camera to photograph papers.

Plan your trip for a day when you will have several hours of uninterrupted research time. Nothing is more irritating than finally discovering your ancestor in a record full of hints for future research and then having to leave! Arrive at the site as early as possible and attempt to keep your research organised. When confronted with an archive full of documents, it is all too easy to dart from place to place trying to fit everything in, but you will lose valuable research time in the long run.