Collaboration Doesn't Have to Be Hard

I'm curious about the amount of collaboration between major, and not so major, genealogy repositories. How much is there? Is there enough?

I know we can't make all of the people happy all of the time (I'm speaking for myself here for sure). However, I do believe in the power of numbers and that reaching more people creates the potential for more happy people. I also believe that cannibalism leads to fewer happy people. What in the world? How am I equating cannibalism with genealogy repositories? I will tell you.

I recently attended what should have been a major event at a well-known, state-of-the-art genealogy library. However, on that very same day a federally operated repository right across town was also hosting an event. The result was they both lost out on attendance and exposure. They cannibalized each other.

How do things like this happen? Did somebody try to reach out to the other and they just couldn't get other dates to work? Did nobody reach out because they are a "competitor" and think "why would we try to work with them?" Or did nobody even think to reach out?

Let's say they didn't want to reach out, for whatever reason, did they try to research online to see what the other repository is doing? Did they visit an event aggregator such as Conference Keepers to see what is listed and make sure their event is listed? Maybe they did. Maybe their hands are tied by some old-school, out-of-touch marketing director who thinks collaboration is "tipping your hand."

No matter the circumstances of how things played out, it's an interesting situation. I'm seeing more and more event options that overlap and/or are scheduled on back-to-back weekends that create conflicts. If that's how it has to be fine, I just want to know that someone actually put some thought into it.

Musings on a Munday Online Records will be the Death of Repositories

Absolutely Not!  No way, no how!

Online records have been my salvation and I know they are to many other researchers.  Performing fruitful research in your PJs...does it get any better?  Yes it does!

It gets better at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.  It gets better at the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri.  It gets better at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City, Missouri.  It gets better all these well-known research facilities as well as the local and county libraries, historical societies and courthouses.  You know why it gets better there?  Each of those brick and mortar facilities has something that online records don't...vibe!

What's the vibe at the Family History Library?  Quiet...Quiet...Quiet...SQUEALS of delight and the genealogy happy dance!  Can you get that at home in your PJs?  Sure you can, but it's much more fun to do it in a room full of people who know exactly what that squeal means.  The vibe at research repositories is one of collaboration, experience, understanding, sharing, excitement and most importantly participation.

I will continue to keep plugging away with my research online and making progress.  But the first chance I have to go and perform in-person research, I'm there!  There is a saying in football that offense wins games and defense wins championships.  The libraries, research repositories and courthouses are the defense in the genealogy game and they are not going anywhere.