Societies: Collaboration Starts in October!

Not only is this month Family History Month (in the U.S.), it’s American Archives Month as well. I hope that throughout the month, your Society has an event planned that will embrace the heart of Senate Resolution 160 from September, 2001, which proclaimed this month as Family History Month. Please take a moment to read the Resolution, keeping in mind the important date it was passed: September 12, 2001.

It is equally important that we celebrate American Archives Month. The reality is that, without Archives, many of us would not have source material with which to research our ancestors. Think about that. And, without patrons to go to the Archives, the Archives cease to be relevant. We depend on one another, just like a family.

Photo courtesy Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana (c) 2014

What makes this year so extraordinary is that the current President of the Society of American Archivists, Kathleen Roe, has committed to getting Archivists out of their comfort zone and into outreach mode. You can read about her “Year of Living Dangerously for Archives” on the Off The Record blog. The most exciting part is many Genealogy Societies are attempting to do the same thing. The changes in research resources and techniques opens up so many challenges to those running societies, and yet, there are even more opportunities as greater numbers of people want to leverage the information available to them digitally, but don’t know how. That’s where Genealogy Societies can step up to fill a large need.

I look at this as one of the most energizing possibilities in a long time: for Archives and Genealogy Societies to work together to support each other’s goals. Strong, viable repositories of our most precious documents, photographs and ephemera being used by strong, viable genealogy societies, all of whom support the family historians, genealogists, and researchers who are anxious to build the stories of our ancestors lives in a collaborative way.

So, how are you making the most of Family History Month/American Archives month? We'd love to hear what you're doing, or even what you'd like to do, to make this month really special.

Family History Month Starts with You

It is Family History Month! But, did you know it’s also American Archives Month? That’s right. And although I don’t think that it was completely intentional, I do believe that the two should most definitely be celebrated together. Why? Because, you can’t have one without the other.

Yes, the advent of online genealogical research has made access to a lot of information much, much easier. What’s better than sitting at home, at your computer, in your jammies with a hot cup of something good searching for your ancestors?  But the reality is that you can only get so far and then you have to ramp up your skills and look at real records.

(c) 2013 Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana

The place that holds and cares for those real records is an Archives. Unlike a Library, an Archives maintains original records that are unique, or one of a kind. There are all types of Archives; local, regional and national. Each one has a different collection policy and they all have policies for use.  Many of them have family historians as their main users, and without family historians coming in to look at their materials, they might not be able to stay open.

The best thing that you can do this Family History Month? Take that next step and go to a local Archives.  You don’t have to travel out of State; go to a local repository.  The more we know our local repositories, the less likely they are to be at risk without us knowing about it. 

And, if you’re not already a member of your local genealogy society, now’s the time to step up. Your local genealogy society folks probably know the ins and outs of the local repositories and can provide you with much needed information to make your trip smoother. (Not sure how to find a local Society? Check out FGS’s Society Hall!) There’s also the impact on your research of being able to tap into the collective knowledge in the group. Your local genealogy society is there to share information and support the efforts of family history researchers.

After all, we are all part of the human family. Happy Family History Month! And, don’t forget to hug an Archivist!