Society Outreach: Helping Your Community Trace the History of Their Homes

Creative Commons-licensed photo from Wikimedia Commons.

In my day job as the Marketing Librarian at a university, I frequently troll the internet for good marketing examples from other libraries. This short YouTube video by the Hennepin County (Minnesota) Library (HCPL) caught my eye this week. HCPL found a creative way to market the research services and materials available in their special collections department--through the eyes of a young couple interested in finding out the history of their old house.

 

The Learning Experience

What did these homeowners learn through this example project?

• That genealogy records, search techniques, and subject experts can be useful outside of the context of "genealogy."
• How to locate and evaluate property records, city directories, and census records.
• How to use the research services available from their local library.
• They also learned biographical details about the people who previously lived at that address.

How Might Your Society Help? 

Consider hosting a public workshop, or series of workshops on how to conduct research on homes. But don't just go it alone. This type of event cries out for collaboration! Approach your local historical society, preservation society, public library, city or county historical commission, or chamber of commerce about partnering together on a program.

What can your society specifically bring to the table? Genealogists focus on the human element of research. We do not tell the story of a building. We tell stories about the people and generations who called that building home. Helping homeowners learn about the people who previously called their address home could very well generate interest in researching their own family histories.

While not hosted by genealogical societies, here are a few examples of organizations who have conducted these types of workshops.

• Des Moines Historical Society and the Des Moines Rehabbers Club.
• Edgewater Historical Society.
• Jersey City Free Public Library and the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy.
• Living Room Realty.
• Preservation Louisville, Metro Louisville Historic Landmarks Commission, and the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office.
• Veterans Park Neighborhood Association and the City of Boise.

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Colleen Greene, MLIS

Co-Chair, FGS Outreach Committee

Promoting Genealogy to a Larger Audience

Promoting Genealogy to a Larger Audience

October is Family History Month in the United States.  Are you looking for ways to celebrate this month?

FGS Radio - My Society guest Angie Rodesky talks about her appearance on How the States Got Their Shapes and discusses some of the ways she has been promoting genealogical research to others.

From educational opportunities for children and adults to television shows and church programs, learn how you can effectively get others involved in researching their own family history.  You never know when you might find a long-lost cousin!

You can find even more resources in our Reach Out Series, created to help member societies to engage with the community at large.

Listen to the archived broadcast of "Promoting Genealogy to a Larger Audience" on the blogtalkradio My Society channel by FGS, or you can listen below:

Check Out History Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with mysociety on BlogTalkRadio