Discover Your Family History at Library’s Your Story Workshops
By Arlington Public Library
Posted on May 15, 2017, May 15, 2017

Story Workshops

Your family history goes deeper than the names written on a genealogy chart, or in a family tree. Documents like marriage certificates, immigration records, military photographs, or other artifacts only scratch the surface. The stories and memories passed between generations give a much fuller picture of a family's history, but gathering this legacy together can be a daunting task.

Your Story, a new series of family history workshops, aims to help people discover a deeper sense of their family and ancestors. Local History and Genealogy Librarian Mark Dellenbaugh wants to help patrons celebrate the unique details of their memories.

"Memories are tied to tangible experiences -the texture of a favorite blanket, the taste of a special holiday dish, the sound of your grandmother singing the lullaby her mother sang to her," Dellenbaugh says. "When people search out and record those experiences, their stories become a lasting legacy for future generations of their family."

Your Story began in April with the first session, Write Your Story. Participants learned strategies to put their stories into forms others can enjoy. The workshop helped one patron "realize I have lots of treasured memories" to share with family!

Your Story meets once monthly through September at the Southwest Branch Library. Future workshops include:

  • Organize Your Story, May 17. Learn best practices for maximizing your research effectiveness.
  • Record Your Story, June 21. Capture the stories and voices that bring your family history to life using the techniques and tools from oral history professions.
  • Preserve Your Story, July 19. Care for your family's pictures, documents and photographs through long-term preservation and high-quality digital replicas.
  • Cook Your Story, August 16. Put your history on a plate or in a cookbook by capturing traditional recipes.
  • Entrust Your Story, September 20. Recruit other family members to continue preserving and sharing the family history.

Registration is not required for these free programs. Attendees are encouraged to join us for the entire series, but may also pick and choose the sessions that are most useful to their research.

Click here to see more about Your Story.

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