Читать книгу Who Do You Think You Are? Encyclopedia of Genealogy: The definitive reference guide to tracing your family history - Nick Barratt - Страница 125

If you find you have a burgeoning passion for family history and want to immerse yourself from the very beginning in all the research skills you’ll need, it might be worth investing in an Adult Education programme or Workers’ Educational Association course. These range from full-time courses to evening classes and are advertised by local libraries, colleges and some universities. The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies (IHGS) promotes its own genealogy courses on its website at www.ihgs.org.uk. Obtaining a diploma or certificate in family history will not only help you to fully understand the more complex aspects of genealogy, but will be a good investment for the future if you decide to go on to teach the subject to others. Indeed, many universities now offer distance learning courses in the subject, as well as qualifications at degree level.

‘Archives run induction days, lectures or tutorials at both local and national level, often with a particular theme as the focus.’

Archives also run induction days, lectures or tutorials at both local and national level, often with a particular theme as the focus. Some archives publish details on their websites of the tutorials that are planned for the forthcoming year, as do other organizations.

The Society of Genealogists holds lectures on the documents that can be found for various types of occupation and circumstances, from researching ancestors in the brewery industry to finding out if your great-great-grandfather was sent to debtor’s prison. Lectures held at the SoG usually explain how to locate original documents from a few different archives if the relevant sources are not all held in one place. Booking your place at a lecture not only gives you the opportunity to ask the speaker specific questions they may not have covered in their talk, but you also get to meet other researchers who are interested in the same topic, so you can discuss ideas and problems with others after the talk.

Some professional genealogists and historians organize day-long workshops at archives using case studies to illustrate how to go about ordering and interpreting original documents at the archive. You should keep an eye out for advertisements for these workshops in family history magazines and local newspapers, and your family history society should be able to update you with the main events in the calendar. Although they usually cost quite a bit more than an hour’s seminar, these workshops are worth the money if you are having serious difficulties, because they offer a far more comprehensive lesson on researching the subject.

Many organizations, such as the Federation of Family History Societies, hold annual conferences which include keynote speeches, workshops and seminars where you can also learn a great deal about the subjects you are researching. There are also regular annual family and local history day events run by regional family history societies and groups, as well as the annual National History show in which family history features prominently, including the Society of Genealogists’ family history fair, and of course the Who Do You Think You Are? Live stage.