Preparing to Be a History Detective
by Stephanie Stegman
The U.S. National Archives Building has exhibit space as well as research facilities.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the records you seek in an archive.
Whether you are in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa or South America, you can find family records or historical documents in a variety of places: everywhere from your local library to a country’s national archive. Good history detectives also explore historical societies, county and state archives, university libraries, and archives associated with religious institutions.
Walking into an archive can be slightly intimidating, especially your first time. There are five things to consider before walking into an archive.
1. Do your homework. Before you do any research on site, do your homework online. Many historical institutions, libraries, and archives have finding aids and online reference guides to help you to determine if a place has what you are looking for. Sometimes you may discover that an item has already been digitized and is available online.
Because archives often divide their materials into record groups, you may want to learn about the creator of the records before you walk into the archive. This will help you understand the types of records in a specific records group. Most of this background information will be included at the top or side of the page, under the heading "Scope and Content."
Be aware that different counties and different states started collecting vital statistics (births, marriages, deaths) at different times.
I like to take a marked up copy of the finding guide and any relevant timelines with me for reference.
Whether you are in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa or South America, you can find family records or historical documents in a variety of places: everywhere from your local library to a country’s national archive. Good history detectives also explore historical societies, county and state archives, university libraries, and archives associated with religious institutions.
Walking into an archive can be slightly intimidating, especially your first time. There are five things to consider before walking into an archive.
1. Do your homework. Before you do any research on site, do your homework online. Many historical institutions, libraries, and archives have finding aids and online reference guides to help you to determine if a place has what you are looking for. Sometimes you may discover that an item has already been digitized and is available online.
Because archives often divide their materials into record groups, you may want to learn about the creator of the records before you walk into the archive. This will help you understand the types of records in a specific records group. Most of this background information will be included at the top or side of the page, under the heading "Scope and Content."
Be aware that different counties and different states started collecting vital statistics (births, marriages, deaths) at different times.
I like to take a marked up copy of the finding guide and any relevant timelines with me for reference.
Family Bibles may contain birth, marriage, and death records.
2. Call ahead.
A phone call or email to the librarian, archivist, or reference person prior to your visit can save you precious time and fewer research-induced headaches. This first-contact serves two purposes. First, it’s always good to give the archivist a heads-up regarding the materials you want to find. Second, some archives require you to set up an appointment time to view the records.
Research hours vary depending on the institution and, in some cases, the time of year. There also may be specific policies and procedures to follow, such as where to park or whether you should bring a specific form of identification with you.
When I recently tag teamed with my cousin to view our family Bible at a university library in another city, I called ahead to ask the librarian about the book's location and to determine the times when my cousin would be able to look at it. Since the library staff knew she was coming, they were very helpful, and she was able both to see the Bible and even take photos.
3. Set research goals.
Unless your research trip involves a single item (like a family Bible), you will need to prioritize your time. Before you arrive in the research room, rank the materials or information you want to look at from most to least important. Why? Archives have extensive records; you are never going to be able to read or look at everything in the archive. Prioritizing what you want to find and read will save time and frustration.
Narrow your focus and clearly understand your goals. Are you primarily interested in a person, a place or a type of record like a photograph or set of letters?
Often, you will be allowed only one box or cart of materials at a time. So, planning ahead can pay off as it ensures that you are looking at the specific kinds of records you want to explore.
When in doubt, work backwards from what you already know. Be flexible. Your research priorities will probably change based on what you do or don't initially find.
A phone call or email to the librarian, archivist, or reference person prior to your visit can save you precious time and fewer research-induced headaches. This first-contact serves two purposes. First, it’s always good to give the archivist a heads-up regarding the materials you want to find. Second, some archives require you to set up an appointment time to view the records.
Research hours vary depending on the institution and, in some cases, the time of year. There also may be specific policies and procedures to follow, such as where to park or whether you should bring a specific form of identification with you.
When I recently tag teamed with my cousin to view our family Bible at a university library in another city, I called ahead to ask the librarian about the book's location and to determine the times when my cousin would be able to look at it. Since the library staff knew she was coming, they were very helpful, and she was able both to see the Bible and even take photos.
3. Set research goals.
Unless your research trip involves a single item (like a family Bible), you will need to prioritize your time. Before you arrive in the research room, rank the materials or information you want to look at from most to least important. Why? Archives have extensive records; you are never going to be able to read or look at everything in the archive. Prioritizing what you want to find and read will save time and frustration.
Narrow your focus and clearly understand your goals. Are you primarily interested in a person, a place or a type of record like a photograph or set of letters?
Often, you will be allowed only one box or cart of materials at a time. So, planning ahead can pay off as it ensures that you are looking at the specific kinds of records you want to explore.
When in doubt, work backwards from what you already know. Be flexible. Your research priorities will probably change based on what you do or don't initially find.
Immigrants disembarking at Ellis Island.
4. Bring all necessary equipment.
“Always Prepared” is the motto of a good history detective.
Most archives have plugs for laptops and most researchers use their laptops to take notes. If you don’t bring a laptop, be sure to have a few sharpened and trusty No. 2 pencils on hand as most archives forbid you from even bringing, much less using, a pen while working with historic records.
Many archives and libraries let you take photographs of their records as long as you turn off the camera’s flash. I recommend bringing a good digital camera; bring a USB cord so that you can check the quality of photos on your laptop.
If you want to make copies, many places now accept credit cards instead of cash.
Again, it's worth asking what the archive’s policy on outside equipment is before your visit. You can typically find this type of information on the institution's website.
5. Ask questions; don't assume.
Errors are always possible as records were created by humans. You may be the first person or the one hundredth person to look at a specific record. It is good to question gaps and inconsistencies that you find.
To determine what it might mean, ask questions!
And lastly...
“Always Prepared” is the motto of a good history detective.
Most archives have plugs for laptops and most researchers use their laptops to take notes. If you don’t bring a laptop, be sure to have a few sharpened and trusty No. 2 pencils on hand as most archives forbid you from even bringing, much less using, a pen while working with historic records.
Many archives and libraries let you take photographs of their records as long as you turn off the camera’s flash. I recommend bringing a good digital camera; bring a USB cord so that you can check the quality of photos on your laptop.
If you want to make copies, many places now accept credit cards instead of cash.
Again, it's worth asking what the archive’s policy on outside equipment is before your visit. You can typically find this type of information on the institution's website.
5. Ask questions; don't assume.
Errors are always possible as records were created by humans. You may be the first person or the one hundredth person to look at a specific record. It is good to question gaps and inconsistencies that you find.
To determine what it might mean, ask questions!
And lastly...
Archives are deliberately kept chilly to preserve documents.
6. Take a sweater, but leave other valuables at home!
Most archives make you put all personal items in a locker before you enter the research room. Researchers have been prosecuted for stealing records from archives. If you don't need it to do research, don't bring it.
But a sweater is a must. Climate-controlled buildings are notoriously chilly. Just because the records stay at a specific temperature (usually between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit) doesn't mean you have to freeze while looking through them. I have also found it helpful to bring half-handers---gloves that cover the hand but leave the fingers free. It can be that cold!
When deciding which sweater to take, you may want to call ahead to ask the archive to determine if they have guidelines about this. Believe it or not, some archives are very uneasy when preparers wear loose-fitting cardigans as documents can be slipped down these.
This message will not self-destruct in five… four… three… two… one. Good luck!
For more tips on conducting research in an archive, check out these other resources:
Barbara Heck, Elizabeth Perkins, and Bill Svee, “A Survival Guide to Archival Research,” Perspectives Dec. 2004 (The American Historical Association), accessed September 1, 2012,
http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2004/0412/0412arc1.cfm.
Dan Jennings, “Archival Survival Guide Part 1: Getting Started at the National Archives,”
Unredacted: the national security archive, unedited and uncensored, a blog of The
George Washington University Archive, May 27, 2010,
http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/archival-survival-guide-part-1-getting-started-at-the-national-archives/.
Most archives make you put all personal items in a locker before you enter the research room. Researchers have been prosecuted for stealing records from archives. If you don't need it to do research, don't bring it.
But a sweater is a must. Climate-controlled buildings are notoriously chilly. Just because the records stay at a specific temperature (usually between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit) doesn't mean you have to freeze while looking through them. I have also found it helpful to bring half-handers---gloves that cover the hand but leave the fingers free. It can be that cold!
When deciding which sweater to take, you may want to call ahead to ask the archive to determine if they have guidelines about this. Believe it or not, some archives are very uneasy when preparers wear loose-fitting cardigans as documents can be slipped down these.
This message will not self-destruct in five… four… three… two… one. Good luck!
For more tips on conducting research in an archive, check out these other resources:
Barbara Heck, Elizabeth Perkins, and Bill Svee, “A Survival Guide to Archival Research,” Perspectives Dec. 2004 (The American Historical Association), accessed September 1, 2012,
http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2004/0412/0412arc1.cfm.
Dan Jennings, “Archival Survival Guide Part 1: Getting Started at the National Archives,”
Unredacted: the national security archive, unedited and uncensored, a blog of The
George Washington University Archive, May 27, 2010,
http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/archival-survival-guide-part-1-getting-started-at-the-national-archives/.
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Stephanie Stegman received her B.A. from Southern
Methodist University and her Ph.D. from Arizona State University in
2010, where she was a recipient of the Graduate College Completion
Fellowship for her dissertation, Taking Control: Fifty Years of Diabetes in the American Southwest, 1940-1990. Dr. Stegman currently works a writer, researcher, and historical consultant in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.