Family History Research: A Tradition of Transliteracy

Type of Presentation

Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)

Target Audience

Other

This will be of interest to k-12, higher education and public libraries.

Location

Room 210

Abstract

This presentation will examine transliteracy and information literacy through the lens of family history research. As librarians and educators begin to embrace their role in supporting transliteracy, they will seek out activities to develop and demonstrate transliteracy skills in their communities. My goal is to support these efforts by demonstrating that family history research is an activity that naturally fosters transliteracy.

Family history research leads the family historian down an information-seeking path where they must navigate and interact across multiple information formats. Oral, written, and visual sources have long been used to help family historians piece together their stories. Online resources have now expanded access to these sources, while also enabling family historians to connect and collaborate with others in exciting new ways. In addition, family historians have gained access to digital tools that offer creative ways to collect, present, and share their history.

Family history research also strengthens core competencies in information literacy. Family historians face the challenge of gathering, organizing, and synthesizing bits of information from a multitude of sources. They critically evaluate sources and use multiple search strategies to corroborate information. The adept family historian will also try to understand the larger cultural and historical context of their stories.

In this presentation I will invite discussion about these topics while also presenting some examples of the resources, tools and platforms available to the family history researcher.

Presentation Description

This presentation will examine transliteracy and information literacy through the lens of family history research. As librarians and educators begin to embrace their role in supporting transliteracy, they will seek out activities to develop and demonstrate transliteracy skills in their communities. My goal is to support these efforts by demonstrating that family history research is an activity that naturally fosters transliteracy.

Keywords

Family history, transliteracy, information literacy

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

Share

COinS
 
Oct 11th, 9:45 AM Oct 11th, 11:00 AM

Family History Research: A Tradition of Transliteracy

Room 210

This presentation will examine transliteracy and information literacy through the lens of family history research. As librarians and educators begin to embrace their role in supporting transliteracy, they will seek out activities to develop and demonstrate transliteracy skills in their communities. My goal is to support these efforts by demonstrating that family history research is an activity that naturally fosters transliteracy.

Family history research leads the family historian down an information-seeking path where they must navigate and interact across multiple information formats. Oral, written, and visual sources have long been used to help family historians piece together their stories. Online resources have now expanded access to these sources, while also enabling family historians to connect and collaborate with others in exciting new ways. In addition, family historians have gained access to digital tools that offer creative ways to collect, present, and share their history.

Family history research also strengthens core competencies in information literacy. Family historians face the challenge of gathering, organizing, and synthesizing bits of information from a multitude of sources. They critically evaluate sources and use multiple search strategies to corroborate information. The adept family historian will also try to understand the larger cultural and historical context of their stories.

In this presentation I will invite discussion about these topics while also presenting some examples of the resources, tools and platforms available to the family history researcher.