The lane to Joseph Smith's Birth Place~Sharon Vermont
Your Source Box on Family Search is located in the dropdown menu by your name on the home page. Your name appears in the upper right hand corner of your screen when you have signed into FamilySearch. When you click on the down arrow, one of the three options available there is Source Box. Open it. There you will see a list of the sources that have been sent to your Source Box automatically when you have attached records to various people in your tree as you have worked on them. Once you have attached them to a person you really should no longer need them. You can either delete them or you can save all of them to one folder.
I like to create a code so that I can find my sources box materials easier. I have named my folder for already attached sources ZZ. I am essentially done with them but can find them should a need arise. Incidentally, when I add a record for an individual as a source in the tree I always check the Title of the Document. If it does not include the person's name I just add a - at the end of the title and add the name. That way if I should ever need it again I can find it easily. I don't envision needing them again but I may want to add something to my RootsMagic software some time. If the name is not in your Source Box Document you would have to open every one of the attached documents to see whose record it is. The title may just read 1880 US Census and there will be a lot of them. Adding the name makes it easy to spot it without opening it.
The Source Box is essentially a large file cabinet. Anything with a URL or web address can be kept in this source box. Before we had Source Linker on the Tree we had to make our own sources and attach them to individuals. That functionality still exists. It is a simple process.
Creating a New Source
The first thing you need to do is have a url you have already copied from a page on the Internet. Let's use the Freedmen's Bureau Records as an example. Everything you read on the Internet has a specific URL in the address box at the top of the page. Highlight that and copy it.
Now go to your Source Box via the dropdown menu next to your name on FS homepage. Look at what is already in your box and look to the left where you can create Folders.
Add a broad-based folder on the left. Let's say you choose AA (African American) or FB (Freemen's Bureau) This is the place you will keep anything pertaining to African American Research. The number of folders you can have is 50 at this time. Keep in mind that you cannot store huge files in the Source Box. But you can store those in Dropbox or Evernote and then make a folder in your Source Box that uses the URL for downloading your large document from Dropbox or Evernote. You could name those folders DB or EN. You can put as many new sources as you want it each folder. That is why you keep the folder's name broad-based. I don't think you will run out of folders with the broad-based titles but if you do, you can always combine things and rename a folder.
Now click on Create Source
A box will appear that shows you how to make a source. It give you an example. Click in the title box and add your title. FB ( Freedman's Bureau) How to Index The Records.
In box #2 add the url you have copied from the source by pasting it here.
In box #3 add where you found this source. Example: familysearch.org
In box #4 add what the record contains or any notes or hints you feel are good to know.
When you save it it will appear in your folder on the left FB (Freedmen's Bureau or AA African American) Clicking on the Code FB in the left hand folder column will open all the files with that code in the Source Box field. Open the link you select and there is your material.
That's it. Pretty Simple!
Practical Application For the Patron
Think about how handy it would be to have something for a patron to learn more about at home. It would be available in your own source box so that you could forward it to them via email. That way they can learn about their subject of interest in their leisure time and keep it as long as they need it.
When a patron comes in seeking help we all have our own method of helping. What I like to do is a little bit of triage. Why are they in the library? Find out what is needed and how long they have to spend in the library on this visit. Find out where they are in the process of learning how to do their genealogy. Start from what they know and work from there. As an example let's say a patron comes in, has a user name and password that they remember and they want to look at their portion of Family Tree. The catch is they only have 1 hour. What would you do?
I would have them look at their portion of The Tree and then show them the Help Center paying attention to where they can go for help via phone, etc. when they have left the library. I would send them the link to Elder Moon's 2 to 3 minute video helps on how to use the Tree for them to look at at home that I already have readily available in my source box.
Then I would spend some time looking at their section of the tree and making some attachments if necessary so that they can actually see a pedigree of their lineage. This is usually necessary if they have living people preceding deceased ancestors that are not attached to them until the bridge is built between a living person and their deceased parents. If they see themselves on the tree and have something compelling to take away they have a good start. Your hour is over and hopefully they will come back.
Because you now have their email you can follow up and give them some addition help that you can research after they leave. Add a new URL with that additional information in an appropriate folder in your source box. As you build your source box over time, you will become more valuable as a staff member in assisting patrons.
In my opinion this is much more effective than just sitting and doing the work for them. Family History is a life long journey. I have learned that if I help someone through their entire learning process they do not build any confidence in doing it on their own by my simply saying click here, click there. We want them to do it and to think about why they are clicking here and there.
Practical Application for the Staff Member
The Source Box being used as a tool box can also be very helpful to us as we try to help others. Who can remember all the nuances of Immigration research, or DNA components, or a blog post that had a particular list on how to do something for a specific situation? Not me. I love having that information in my Source Box. You can refer to it along with your patron to refresh you own mind and help them at the same time. Each time I have a situation that I can't figure out with a patron I can research it and create a source and send it to them. Each time I read an article or blog post or anything pertaining to all of us that do this great work, I can create a source. You have the capability of creating and organizing your box in any way you wish. The flexibility is amazing. And because it is on Family Search it is all right there with you when ever you sign on the FS any time or anywhere. You can even study some of these things in more depth when you have a moment to kill while waiting for someone or something on the go. If you like the ideas presented here, how about copying the link for this post and creating a folder in your Source Box for helping patrons.
HP (Helping Patrons)
http://alegacythatmatters.blogspot.com/2015/07/using-family-search-source-box-to-help.html
My Links added to my folder FB (Freedmen's Bureau)
http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1105
https://familysearch.org/blog/en/breaking-1870-brick-wall-significance-freedmens-bureau-records/
http://www.discoverfreedmen.org/
http://mappingthefreedmensbureau.com/maps/
Of course you can create other sources that are not from the Internet but we can talk about that in the comments or in class if needed. Let me know. B
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