I have noticed that when I am working with a patron on family tree that there is often a lot of confusion as soon as we click on to the Person Page. This is because this is where all the action takes place on a person in Family Tree. This page is so chuck full of features it can be mind boggling to a new patron. We can show them and talk about it but what happens when they go away completely wowed by the Family Tree and get home and try it themselves? If they are anything like me, there are a lot of questions.
As you know I like to have something to give them that will help them avoid quitting from the frustration. There are so many resources on the internet and lots of options so how do we choose what to include in the way of links we can offer our new patrons?
As I have mentioned several times I like to add a link to my source box that I can sent them immediately via email that will be helpful. Today I'd like to demonstrate how this is done in class.
First I select a resource. I have found that the BYU Family History Library YouTube channel is getting better and better. This week I went on there and selected, Diving Deep Into the Person Page on Family Tree, by Kathryn Grant.
Go to the Home Page of FamilySearch, sign in and look for the dropdown menu right under your name. One of the options is Source Box. Click to open it.
If you have attached sources to your people you will see them in the main text box. These are records you will most likely never need again. (Most people don't even know they are there.) They are already attached on Family Tree to your person. Most people don't even save them but you can if you wish. I use code ZZ for one of my folders and just dump them all in there.
On the top of that text box you will see Create A Source and under that you see four options. Select All, Open Details, Move & Remove. Create your source by following the instruction right there on the form. Save it!
On the left sidebar you will see Home, All and My Folders. You are allowed only 50 folders there. I like to assign a 2 digit code to each one simply to keep things more organized by topic. Example HT for (How To). DB for (Dropbox).
Within those folders you have a lot of space to add links for what you want. Think broadly about naming your folders for your files. You probably should not use surnames as you will soon run out of folders!
Remember anything that is added to the source box needs to have a url link. Also the really long things you may want to include you'll need to put into Dropbox or Evernote and it will create a url for you.
Once you have your link go into the Source Box and Create a Source. Follow the directions in each one of the boxes. When you are finished be sure to Save it at the bottom.
So now in a flash you can copy the url for the link from your Source Box and send it directly to your patron or anyone else outside the office that you may be helping. It is really very simple and handy.
If you have any questions be sure to just ask me. B
No comments:
Post a Comment