Call Ahead: Confirm Hours and Special Circumstances

Nicole and Diana discuss the final and most important step in preparing for an onsite genealogy research trip: calling the facility. Diana opens by referencing previous episodes that covered foundational steps like creating a research objective, developing a timeline, conducting locality research, and crafting a detailed research plan.

Nicole emphasizes that calling ahead is her number one tip for successful onsite research because it can reveal critical information not found online. They share anecdotes from Nicole's research trips to Love County, Oklahoma, and Kentucky to illustrate why this step is crucial. Nicole's experience in Love County shows that phone calls can be more effective than emails for getting responses from county offices. Her Kentucky trip highlights the importance of verifying hours, closures, and special circumstances, as she learned too late about limitations to vault access and record ordering during a special conference opening. Listeners learn they should always ask about special circumstances before booking flights and that a simple call can set proper expectations.

They also discuss practical questions about the research environment. Nicole shares her experiences in Love County where there were no chairs in the research room, and she had to kneel in a storage room. Diana adds that researchers should not be embarrassed to ask about basic logistics like ladder access. The hosts stress the importance of understanding photography and documentation policies in advance, as Nicole discovered restrictions on photographing index pages in Love County. They advise asking if photographing records is allowed and if there are different policies for various record types. Finally, Nicole and Diana explain that calling ahead helps researchers understand record organization and access procedures, preventing disappointment and maximizing valuable research time. They conclude by reiterating that thorough preparation, especially calling ahead, is essential for a productive onsite research trip.

This summary was generated by Google Gemini.

Links

How to Prepare for an Onsite Genealogy Research Trip - https://familylocket.com/how-to-prepare-for-an-onsite-genealogy-research-trip/

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Research Like a Pro Resources

Airtable Universe - Nicole's Airtable Templates - https://www.airtable.com/universe/creator/usrsBSDhwHyLNnP4O/nicole-dyer

Airtable Research Logs Quick Reference - by Nicole Dyer - https://familylocket.com/product-tag/airtable/

Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide book by Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com - https://amzn.to/2x0ku3d

14-Day Research Like a Pro Challenge Workbook - digital - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-digital-only/ and spiral bound - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-spiral-bound/

Research Like a Pro Webinar Series - monthly case study webinars including documentary evidence and many with DNA evidence - https://familylocket.com/product-category/webinars/

Research Like a Pro eCourse - independent study course -  https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-e-course/

RLP Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-study-group/

Research Like a Pro with DNA Resources

Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist's Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence book by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthlin - https://amzn.to/3gn0hKx

Research Like a Pro with DNA eCourse - independent study course -  https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-ecourse/

RLP with DNA Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-study-group/

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