Last year I gave a presentation for a history conference advertised to genealogists. One of the speakers, not a genealogist, asked why he had to prepare a handout. He felt it was unnecessary as he gave numerous talks each year, never preparing a handout. The organizer replied, "genealogists expect them."

I had to laugh because she was right. I had seen this speaker before and had been to presentations in that history field, and never once was I given a handout or even a list of resources (and I LOVE a good bibliography). I thought it was interesting that in non-genealogy circles, a handout may seem like an optional piece of paper. I believe, in this case, the presenter felt that between the participant taking notes and buying his book, his providing additional written material wasn't necessary. His work was to give the presentation, and that was it. (I'm not judging his attitude. It is extra work to put together a handout.) But as genealogists, we've come to expect those multiple pieces of paper or digital documents for webinars, society meetings, seminars, and conferences. And let me be clear. I love resources, so I'm a fan of the handout. But are we really benefitting from receiving that handout?

Genealogy audiences expect handouts, but genealogy presenters (and hosting societies and institutions) have differing ideas of what makes a good handout. For our purposes, I'm not interested in debating what makes a "good" handout. In genealogy, handouts have some commonalities, such as being about 4 pages, but they may be even more depending on whether it's a 1-hour society talk, a webinar, or an institute course. Currently, Legacy Webinars has 1,886 webinars with 7,063 syllabus pages. That averages to almost a 4-page handout for each webinar, but as you know, some presenters provide handouts that can get as high as 10+ pages. Digital handouts allow presenters to create handouts that exceed 4 pages because they don't need to be printed and handed out to the audience.

So with all that effort presenters use to provide presentation handouts, how can we, as the audience, make the most of the handouts we are given?

What Do You Do?

What do you do with handouts? If we are talking about a webinar, you most likely download them. But what then? Handout styles run the gamut and can be simply an outline of the speaker's main points, or they can act as a reference piece for later with additional resources. Those handouts that are an outline of the talk require you to annotate information so that you can remember what those bullet points mean and how they relate to your research. Without doing so, in the future, those points may be too brief to be used in your research.

I typically take notes on handouts and use a highlighter to mark what I want to remember. I also go through any bibliography and checkmark books I own and highlight books I want to purchase. I then add those books to my GoodReads account.

Some researchers upload the handout to an Evernote binder so they can add tags or benefit from OCR (Optical Character Recognition). This way, they get rid of the physical paper and have an easy way to find what they need in the future.

What do you do with the handouts and syllabi you accumulate? Do you take notes on the pages? Do you use the information to make to-do lists? What about bookmarking recommended websites?

We can all benefit from the "best practices" of others. So I'm curious. How do you use handouts and syllabi once the event is over? How do you get the most from that information? Use the comments to share how you use handouts after the presentation.

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.

The recording of today's webinar by Nancy E. Loe, MA, MLS, "The Migration of European Ancestors: Their Experiences and the Records, 1820-1920" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

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About the presenter

After a long professional career in academic archives and libraries, Nancy E. Loe, MA, MLS, is now a genealogy educator, researcher, and writer. She specializes in US and European research, and provides expert guidance on organizing research and family papers. Nancy’s first professional job was as Head Librarian for Genealogy and Local History at the public library in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she also co-founded the Pikes Peak Genealogical Society in 1980. Her website, www.sassyjanegenealogy.com, offers a blog, e-books, and a free monthly newsletter.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at:

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Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of today's webinar by MyHeritage's Ethel Vol and Gal Zrihen, "The science behind MyHeritage DNA testing" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free.

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Can't make it to the live event?

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About the presenter

Gal Zrihen, Product Manager, responsible for MyHeritage DNA products. Leading a talented team of developers, QA Engineers, and designers to create and optimize DNA users’ entire journey — from ordering a DNA kit to making the most of their DNA results for genealogical research with MyHeritage’s constantly growing suite of features.

Ethel Vol in a Bioinformatician at MyHeritage. She has an MSc. in Genetics and Bioinformatics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is a member of the DNA Science team which expands the company’s expertise in the realm of DNA analysis. She researches genetic data algorithms to develop and upgrade MyHeritage’s ethnicity, matching and other DNA based products.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
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Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of today's webinar by Renate Yarborough Sanders, "Freedom Bound: Escaping Bondage for Life in the North" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

How curious are you? Are you like me and have your phone at the ready when watching a movie so that you can Google questions you have as you watch? Are you always writing down questions to look up as you travel? Maybe it's not enough for you to know that an ancestor simply existed. You want to know what their everyday life was like.

My friend Tami Mize of Conference Keeper first introduced me to curiosity's place in genealogy when she posted a favorite Walt Disney quote, "We Keep Moving Forward, Opening Up New Doors And Doing New Things, Because We're Curious...And Curiosity Keeps Leading Us Down New Paths.” I asked her to elaborate on the role of curiosity in genealogy,

“Curiosity is truly what drives every step of genealogy research. From the simple question "Who were my ancestors?" to "When were they born/married/died?" Then once we have these cold, stark facts, we start wondering what they were like, how did they live, what stories could they tell, and what might we learn from them.”

For Tami and many of us, curiosity is essential to genealogy research. It takes us from the start of our genealogy journey and informs our continued research as we enhance our ancestors' stories with details found when we ask questions.

My personal opinion is that curiosity helps us become better researchers. It drives us to ask questions and then seek out the answers to those questions. It helps us become passionate about our research. It requires us to go beyond what may seem like “enough.” Curious people have an infectious nature. They draw you in with their knowledge and ability to go beyond the tried and true and find those unique sources. They always have an interesting record to share, a new website, or a recently read book.

Curiosity + Genealogy + You

So how do we increase or develop the curiosity to become better researchers ? Googling "how to be curious" or "how to develop curiosity" brings up results that can help. A few themes I found include the following:[1]

• Ask questions
• Explore
• Love to learn new things
• Don’t take things for granted
• Read diversely

So how can these ideas translate to genealogy?

Ask questions: When researching, ask questions beyond "where did she die?" Question what burial practices during her era included? Ask yourself why someone would or wouldn't have a grave marker. Ask what other records helps answer that question.

Explore: How familiar are you with 19^th-century birth records from Ohio or the 1880 US Mortality Schedules? Look through collections found online. Don't just search for someone. Look at numerous records and notice what they look like, what information they contain, and the instructions for the record.

Love to learn new things: Genealogy is an ongoing pursuit. You've been researching for decades, but what have you learned about access to records or a new record set in the last six months? In the working world, many occupations require continuing education. The same idea could be used in genealogy.

Don’t take things for granted: Ok, you know that the census is on that popular subscription website, but what if you looked at a different website? Maybe the images are clearer. Maybe the indexing helps you find your ancestor. Websites change. When we assume we already know, we miss out on updated and changed information.

Read diversely: I can't encourage this enough. Always be reading! That's how you learn about the records, history, and social history of your ancestor. Reading from genres that include historical fiction, history, material culture, sociology, and local history can benefit our research. We can't know everything, and we "don't know what we don't know." That means you need to be adding to what you do know, and that means reading books and articles.

How Curious Are You?

Have you thought about curiosity and genealogy? What does it mean to you? How do you pursue and develop your curiosity? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

[1] A few online resources include: “10 Great Habits of Curious People,” Natural Training (https://www.naturaltraining.com/10-great-habits-of-curious-people/: accessed 3 November 2022); “4 Reasons Curiosity is Important and How to Develop It,” Lifehack (https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/4-reasons-why-curiosity-is-important-and-how-to-develop-it.html: accessed 3 November 2022).

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.

Test Your Webinar Connection

To ensure that your webinar connection is ready to go, click here.

Can't make it to the live event?

No worries. Its recording will be available for a limited time. Webinar Subscribers have unlimited access to all webinar recordings for the duration of their membership.

About the presenter

Renate Yarborough Sanders has been engaged in genealogy research for two decades. She is the descendant of formerly enslaved ancestors, as well as enslavers and free people of color. Renate is the author of two blogs: “Into the LIGHT”, which focuses on her own family history; and, “Genea-Related”, which is a platform for presenting a variety of information of genealogical interest. Renate also produces a “(Mostly) African-American Funeral Programs” online database, in which she publishes vital data extracted from funeral programs. Renate is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the North Carolina Genealogical Society, the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society (AAHGS), the Virtual Genealogical Association, and the Tyrrell County (NC) Genealogical and Historical Society. She is a panelist on BlackProGen LIVE and has recently partnered with Taneya Koonce to produce a summer series of webinars called “Let’s Talk North Carolina Genealogy!” She has published articles in genealogical newsletters, as well as in the Franklin County (NC) Heritage Book (Vol. 1) and is engaged in a number of volunteer activities in the genealogical community. Renate is the Newsletter Editor for the Hampton Roads Chapter of AAHGS, a member of the AAHGS National Editorial Board, and a volunteer photographer for Find-A-Grave. She retired in July 2017 from a 32-year career as elementary educator. Renate enjoys presenting genealogy lectures on a variety of topics but specializes in sharing knowledge and techniques for researching ancestors of color – both pre- and post- Emancipation: free people of color, or enslaved. When possible, presentations are fine-tuned to include information specific to the participants and/or location of her audiences.

With our Google Calendar button, you will never forget our upcoming webinars. Simply click the button to add it to your calendar. You can then optionally embed the webinar events (and even turn them on and off) into your own personal calendar. If you have already added the calendar, you do not have to do it again - the new webinar events will automatically appear.

Webinar time

The webinar will be live on Friday, November 4, 2022 at:

• 2pm Eastern (U.S.)
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific

Or use this Time Zone Converter.

Here's how to attend:

1. Register at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com today. It's free!
2. You will receive a confirmation email containing a link to the webinar.
3. You will receive a reminder email both 1 day and 1 hour prior to the live webinar.
4. Calculate your time zone by clicking here.
5. Check your GoToWebinar connection here.
6. Click on the webinar link (found in confirmation and reminder emails) prior to the start of the webinar. Arrive early as the room size is limited to the first 1,000 arrivals that day.
7. Listen via headset (USB headsets work best), your computer speakers, or by phone. 

We look forward to seeing you all there!

The recording of today's webinar by Paul Woodbury, "Right Place, Right Time, Right Person: Intersections of DNA and Document Evidence" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.

The recording of today's webinar by Shauna Hicks, "Tips & Tricks for Researching in Australian Archives" is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.