So far this month we’ve looked at why we should research at
a museum and the types of museums. Let’s now take a look at what resources to expect from museum research.
Remember, that research is much more than just entering a
name, date, and place into an online database. Research is “diligent and systematic inquiry or
investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories,
applications…” [1] What that means for us genealogists is not only finding
resources to place our ancestor in a specific location but also to get that
social history context that makes for a complete family history.
Now I should first clarify that this museum research for our female
ancestors might take on various forms including:
- Visiting museum exhibits
- Visiting a museum’s other properties (historical sites, for example)
- Visiting a museum and taking part in a living history experience
- Visiting a museum and taking part in a tour (onsite or off)
- Visiting a museum and listening to a lecture (online or off)
- Visiting a museum library or archive (most likely with an appointment)
- Utilizing digital collections on the museum website
- Utilizing online databases on the museum website
- Sending a research request or a question via the website
With this in mind, what resources can we expect to find?
Research in the museum can be done on-site and virtually. It may involve
original records and derivatives as well as interviews and oral histories. As we plan our research, we should be utilizing:
- Exhibits
- Interpretive experiences
- Education opportunities (lectures, tours, experiences)
- Experts
- Library collections (books, periodicals)
- Archival collections (manuscripts, images, correspondence, ephemera)
- Subscription databases
- Databases developed by the museum
- Digital collections (records, images, books)
- Publications printed by the museum (annual reports, historical writings, newsletters, books)
I will be taking some time over the next week exploring the
importance of these research options and what they can offer for our genealogy
research. Tomorrow, we will explore subscription databases at the museum. There's more out there than just genealogy subscription websites.
[1] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/research
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