Keywords

family history research, genealogy, family history writing

Abstract

The archivist of a great university library was once asked his secret in collecting so many important materials. He smiled and said, "My success can be summed up in two very important words: vacuum sweeper." His approach was to locate as many relevant materials as possible and then to analyze and classify them. His success was linked to having a wide definition of what records might be of value for historical archives. Where others threw away phone books, he kept them (valuable information on professions and businesses in the Yellow Pages), where others threw away menus, he kept them (valuable information on how much food cost in that day, what were current favorite dishes).