Guest blog post by Jean Wilcox Hibben, PhD, MA, CGsm
I was just looking at the volunteer page at Jamboree for the Research Assistance room and was overwhelmed! I am not going to quote figures right now, because it is clear that they are changing rapidly. It appears that the popularity of this part of Jamboree is really catching on – both for the good genealogy folks who are volunteering their time to help others and the people who are needing a little “shot in the arm” for their ancestral searches. This page has been open for just over 2 weeks and already I can tell that this year’s Research Assistance is going to be an amazing success!
Do you have a knowledge you can share? It doesn’t need to be finding ancestors who have defied all attempts at discovery (though that is a great skill) . . . it can just be helping folks get started by learning how to do basic web searches. It can be a specialty (Irish research, Civil War research, etc.). It can be a technical skill (basic computer skills for genealogy, for example). Whatever you know that someone else does not may be just what we need at the Research Assistance rooms. Please consider signing up for a time slot: http://www2.mysignup.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?datafile=2015scgsjamboree_research_assistance
And for those looking for help, our assistants are already signing up to be your one-on-one consultant. But look at what the areas of expertise include. If someone has indicated “Irish Research,” don’t sign up there if you need help with finding German ancestors. Someone who has specified “General” or “Basic Research” is not likely to be able to be successful helping you locate people you’ve been searching for 30 years and hired professional genealogists to find. After all, our time slots are for 20-minute consultations and we need to be realistic. Some of our assistants also do this for a living so you may have success hiring one of the professionals there to work on your family in the weeks following Jamboree.
Research Assistance is a free service for Jamboree registrants ONLY.
Jean Wilcox Hibben; PhD, MA, CGsm
Research Assistance Coordinator
Vice President, Southern Calif. Chapter of the Assoc. of Professional Genealogists
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