Getting to the Roots of Your Family - RootsWeb - Ancestry.com

Getting the Most out of the Family
History Library Catalog: Tips and
Tricks from a Pro
Dan Poffenberger AG ®
poffenbergerds@familysearch.org
Have you ever searched the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) for the record that is going to have
the baptism or will you are looking for only to put a film on the reader and realize it isn’t at all what you
thought it was? The purpose of this course is to help you have more success at finding the right record
more often and more quickly.
CONTEXT
Finding the right record in the FHLC can be daunting for a variety of reasons. The catalog was made by
computer programmers with information from book and microfilm catalogers. Catalogers follow specific
rules for how information is listed and how call numbers are determined. Computer programmers have
their own preconceived ideas of how the catalog should appear and work. The catalog was not
necessarily made be genealogists for genealogists. And . . . the catalog changes.
KEY THINGS TO CONSIDER
When looking for something in the catalog, it is important to consider the following:
• There is no substitute for trying different searches.
• If you look at the catalog the same way you’ve always looked, then you’ll see what you’ve
always seen.
• Never assume.
PLACE-NAMES SEARCH
Perhaps the best part of the latest version of the catalog is that it uses “starts with” capability. The
following tips and tricks are helpful:
• The catalog uses “starts with” capability but still requires you to spell the place-name correctly.
The catalogers have a standard reference they use to determine the “correct” spelling of a placename.
Type in a part of the place-name and review the results. This may help you find your place
when the spelling is difficult and you may find the same place in the catalog more than once.
• Never forget that a place is only in the catalog if the Family History Library has a record directly
tied to it. The library doesn’t have records for every town. Also, a record related to more than one
town will likely be found under a higher jurisdiction, depending on the discretion of the cataloger.
Some excellent information for a town may be found at the county or state or country level.
• Less is usually more. You may eliminate the place you are looking for by putting in too much
information. Don’t assume you know the jurisdictions used by the catalogers.
• Cities with more than one church or parish may have a separate catalog entry for each.
• When selecting a place, a list of topics and sometimes notes is given. Always review the list of all
topics. Sometimes the topic you think something should be found under is not where the record