North of Ireland Family History Society

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GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

by Lisa Carson Bangor Branch Member

I recently met with distant family and in amongst the conversation we eventually got around to family history. It is only recently that I actually established how we were all related and I am fortunate enough to have found another generation back, which we all can share.  I was told that there is a gentleman who lives across the road from some of these family members who periodically visits to deliver the latest update of his family tree on a floppy disk. This causes some amusement, especially to those not overly interested in their family history, but I thought it raised a valid point.

Problems can and do occur on computers from time to time. Basic preventative maintenance can help to alleviate some of these problems and a program such as "Norton Utilities" can help to tidy up your computer files if run on a regular basis.

 Think of a computer disk as a bookshelf. In the first instance you put all the books in place, ordered or grouped so that they are easily found. If every time you picked out a book to read it and when finished it you returned it to the shelf, not where you found it but at the end of the shelf. Eventually you would be left with gaps where the books had been removed and a whole pile of books at the end of the shelves not associated with each other. Something similar happens with your Hard disk in your computer. If the bookshelf was in a library we would expect the books to be in order to assist us in finding them and the computer needs a little help in this direction too.

Many of us have spent a lot of time researching our family history (from hours through to years!) and it is important to us - I know that I would feel terrible if all my hard work were lost. The gentleman who periodically delivers a backup disk to his neighbours is practising a simple but sensible operation. He is making a backup of his data and storing it remotely. Although this example is obviously a backup or copy of a computer file I would like to point out that the practice is relevant for your paper based records too. As members of the society we have the ideal opportunity of safely storing a backup which can also be available for other researchers. The NIFHS library is an ideal place to store a copy of your research whether it is a computer or paper format. This is an option for all members of the Society, Branch and Associate. The library is always interested in copies of transcribed records whether paper or computer disks copy. There is usually someone at the library who can help if you are not sure.

Another essential aspect of storing a copy of your research at the library is that it is then available for other members of the society to browse. It is wonderful when we are able to share our research and resources and it can be interesting where leads can come from. A visit to the library on a Saturday morning can prove to be fruitful, casual conversations on a certain aspect lead to one person or another knowing of a resource in the library or elsewhere which could be just what you are looking for.  A recent example was when I asked about the presence of the army in or near Newtownards, I was pointed in the right direction to find out that there had been a training camp and a regional headquarters in the area. However the information is by no means restricted to County Down and Belfast where the library is situated. There are members of the society with a wealth of knowledge on other counties and indeed other countries.