Research Records

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Research Records

• Organizing
• Accessing
• Sharing
• Preserving

2
Traditional Records

• Mostly paper
• Census
• Vital records (birth death marriage)
• Ancestor / descendant charts
• Stories
• Wills
• Bible records
• Newspaper clippings (obituaries, etc)
• Pictures

3
Traditional Records (contd)

• Organization
• Usually only one copy of each record
• Kept loose in file folders or notebook
• Accessing
• Usually accessed by browsing folder
• Sharing
• Make copies of documents, send by mail
• Preserving
• Individual pieces of paper can hold up over time
• Harder to make backup copies

4
Digital Records

• Online records are all digital
• Images, indexes, documents
• Gedcom
• Convert traditional records to digital
• Scanners and digital cameras
• Pictures
• Audio
• Video

5
Digital Records (contd)

• Organization
• Kept on computer in folder(s)
• Accessing
• Can be accessed by browsing folder
• Can create indexes, documents that automatically
  reference individual records
• Sharing
• Make CD of all records, mail CD
• Email small number of records
• Preserving
• Easy to make and store backup copies

6
Making Records Accessible

• Create record index
• Create reports that link to records
• Using hyperlinks

7
Document Hyperlinks

• Link to (files on your computer)
• Other documents
• Pedigree, descendent reports, charts
• Images (census, marriage, newspaper)
• Pictures
• Audio clip
• Video clip
• Web address
• Not recommended addresses change
• GEDCOM file

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Creating the Document

• Create a folder called Records
• Put copies of the record files in the folder
• Open word processing program (Word, etc)
• Start with a new file, or open existing document
• Highlight the word or phrase you want to link
  from, select the hyperlink icon (usually the
  world with two links of chain) and follow
  directions to select the file to link to
• Rinse and repeat
• Save the file to the Records folder as .doc,
  .htm, or .pdf
• Open the file to make sure the links work

9
Sharing the Document and Records

• Burn a CD with the Records folder on it
• Make sure you tell which file to open

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Hyperlink

• a word, phrase, picture, icon, etc, in a computer
  document on which a user may click to move to
  another part of the document or to another
  document