Library Journal, May 3, 2016
Rooted in Research | Genealogy
Popular culture, advances in DNA testing, and digital resources enhance the family search, but help from human experts is still crucial
By
On Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr., a PBS program that’s a must for those interested in family history, viewers watch as Harvard professor Gates reveals to famous people information about their ancestors, some of them recent forebears and others from many generations ago. TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are? (WDYTYA), based on a BBC series of the same name, is now in its eighth season and offers a similar chronicling of the search for a famous person’s roots.
“[WDYTYA]…was a watershed moment that changed genealogy from being something that was for professional genealogists or serious hobbyists to being accessible to the general public,” says Tina Beaird, genealogy and local history librarian at the Plainfield Public Library, IL. The show makes research look deceptively quick, though, she says, and librarians should remember that patrons’ expectations might have to be brought down to earth....
Darcy Brixey, young adult and genealogy librarian at the Bellevue branch of King County Library System, WA, explains that her library system has strong partnerships with local genealogy groups such as Eastside Genealogical Society, which offers two-hour volunteer drop-in-assistance sessions at Bellevue. (How long each patron gets depends upon how many patrons show up.) The volunteers often work with those new to genealogy who are overwhelmed by the amount of material available and need some advice.
