Training cycle for librarians "In Search of Family Roots"

Publicēts: 6.04.2020

More and more library visitors are interested in family research questions, where to look for information and how to create a family tree. Readers ask many specific questions that we've tried to answer, but we haven't. Librarians need new knowledge that can be provided by professionals in the field.

In 2019, the Gulbene County Library received support in the State Cultural Capital Fund project competition with the project “In Search of Family Roots”.

During the project implementation 4 lessons were planned:

• Possibilities provided by the historical archive in family research;
• Reading and using books of Catholic churches for family research;
• Cartographic material for family research;
• Family tree building.

In February and March, librarians were trained to search for information in church books, census documents, how to obtain information from the Latvian State Historical Archive, what information about family property, handicap and economic activity is provided by old farm, settlement and manor plans and maps, how to read and understand them. During the training, librarians acquired the necessary knowledge to read and use these materials in family research. Thanks to the lecturers: Dace Plīksa, expert of the Historical Archive of the National Archives of Latvia; Jānis Apīnis, editor of Jēkabpils newspaper "Brīvā Daugava", researcher of pedigree and church history; Ilze Māra Janelis, researcher and architect of Latvian manors and parks.

At the end of the state of emergency in the country, librarians will have another lesson "Creating a family tree". In it we will learn various computer programs that can be used to create a family tree. Emil Rusov, an enthusiastic researcher of the family trees of our region, will teach it.

Iveta Erica,
Gulbene district libraries
supervisor of methodological work