[Baynet] Infopeople's "Online Genealogical Research" online course

[Linda Rodenspiel]

Since some people who may be interested in this workshop might not receive 
this notice directly, we would appreciate it if you would print and post or 
route this announcement to staff and colleagues. Thanks!


Title:  Online Genealogical Research (online learning course)

Dates:  July 18, 2006 - August 15, 2006

To register for this workshop:  Use the online registration form at
http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop/Workshop/279

Fee:  Because of grant funding, California residents can take this course 
for the subsidized fee of $75.00. The out-of-state fee is $275.00.

Patron interest in genealogy – and online genealogical sources – is 
booming. But, how best to serve these customers? Many librarians feel hard 
pressed to supply meaningful assistance in this complex, multi-faceted, and 
highly personal research process. Do these questions sound familiar?

--How do I trace my family?
--Was my ancestor a soldier in the Civil War?
--Can you help me find out who my grandmother’s parents were?
--Where did my family come from before moving to California, or
--Where should I look online to learn all about my ancestors?

This course will bring you up to speed on the current state of genealogical 
research, emphasizing online sources and methods. You will learn the 
essentials of evidence, the nuts and bolts of recordkeeping, and how to 
navigate the perilous but incredibly rich and rewarding seas of online 
genealogical inquiry.


Workshop Description: This four-week online learning course will bring you 
up to speed on the current state of genealogical research, emphasizing 
online sources and methods. You will learn the essentials of evidence, the 
nuts and bolts of recordkeeping, and how to navigate the perilous but 
incredibly rich and rewarding seas of online genealogical inquiry. During 
the course, students will explore a variety of online resources, from 
general use search engines to specific genealogical databases. Using 
practice research scenarios, students will have an opportunity to hone 
their reference interview skills in real-world situations.

Preliminary Course Outline: Using your web browser and your Internet 
connection, you will log in to the Infopeople online learning site and 
complete the following learning modules:

Module One: Basics of Genealogy
--What is Genealogy? How is research conducted?
--Basic data. Genealogy’s two directions. Charting.
--Getting organized.
--Documentation is essential – 1st steps.
--What does the patron need/want? Typical scenarios.
--Internet is a tool, not a source – Internet is not evidence.
--Evidence.
--Asking the right questions, in the right order.

Module 2: Locating Genealogical Evidence Online
--Search engines.
--Vital records; passengers lists, naturalization, census.

Module 3: Online Genealogical Research – Major Tools
--Databases and crucial websites.

Module 4: How to provide just the materials or direction they need
--Appropriate methodologies geared to online sources.
--Topflight genealogical subscriptions databases.
--Online archival union catalogs.
--Practice common research scenarios.

Workshop Instructor: Anthony Hoskins.  Anthony Hoskins is a widely 
published genealogical scholar, author of some 15 articles, one book, and 
presenter in a genealogical research video series. For eleven years he was 
the reference librarian of the genealogical collection at Chicago's 
Newberry Library where he also taught courses in beginning and advanced 
genealogical research for nine years. He has spoken at genealogical 
conferences all over the midwest and has appeared frequently on radio and 
television; being interviewed on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and also 
on BBC Radio. He is the subject of an entry in Who's Who in Genealogy and 
Heraldry. Mr Hoskins currently heads Sonoma County Library's unique History 
and Genealogy Library in Santa Rosa, California.

Online Learning Details: This four-week course will be taught online using 
the web. When you register, you will receive a registration confirmation, 
which will include the URL to get to the course, as well as a username and 
password.

Every student proceeds through the online learning modules at his or her 
own pace. However, students should expect to commit to spending a minimum 
of 2 to 2 1/2 hours per week on this course in order to be successful. You 
can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. 
However, you will be expected to log in to the course each week to do that 
week’s assignment. We ask that you log in sometime during the first week of 
the course to begin the course work.

Your instructor will be available for limited consultation support for two 
weeks after the official end date of a course, and the course material will 
stay up for an additional two weeks after that, to give those who have 
fallen behind time to work independently on the course. However, you will 
be expected to accomplish the majority of the course in synchronization 
with your peers during the first four weeks.

Who Should Take This Course: This course is recommended for reference 
librarians, information desk staff, and anyone from the library community 
with an interest in genealogy.

Prerequisites: This course is taught over the web. You must:

--Have an Internet connection and Internet Explorer 5 or higher (some of 
the quiz functions do not work properly in Netscape).
--Be able to save Microsoft Word .docs or Adobe .pdf files to your computer 
and print them out. (For .doc files, a free Word Viewer is available at 
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en. Search for 
"Word Viewer." For .pdf files, a free Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at 
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html).
--Be comfortable navigating on the web and navigating back and forward on a 
website that uses frames.

System Requirements: The online learning product that Infopeople uses is 
called Angel. The following are minimum system requirements for using 
Angel. You will need access to a computer that has at least these 
specifications to participate in an online course:

Windows:
--Internet Explorer 6.0 and above, Netscape 7.1 and above, or Firefox 1.5 
and above

Macintosh:
--Mozilla 1.4 and above (which is the same engine as Netscape 7.1), Safari 
2.0 and above, or Firefox 1.5 and above
--OS X and above (OS 9 will NOT work with our online learning product)

If you are not comfortable with any of the above, please consider taking 
this course with a colleague who does meet these requirements.

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops and for general information 
about Infopeople training opportunities, go to the main Infopeople 
Workshops page at http://infopeople.org/WS/workshop

If you have questions about registration or scheduling of workshops, please 
contact Linda Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at 
assist at infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.