Presentation:
An Effective Genealogy Work Area/Office
by Karen Krugman
Karen has provided a written summary of her talk:
Components of a work area are:
1. Desk/ work surface & chair
2. Suffficient storage space
3. Filing space and equipment
4. Telephone
5. Lighting
6. Maps & Ref. materials
7. Computer/ genealogical tracking materials
1. Desk/work surface & chair
Work surface and chair shouldf it your height. Many companies today have consultants who do nothing but equip employees with "correct" chair height and keyboard placement. Make sure the chair and work surface that you choose is comfortable, adjustable and has good back support. Ignoring considerations such as these can lead to backaches, headaches and other physical discomforts.
2.Sufficient storage space
Storage of materials such as printer paper, notebooks and other supplies is also an important part of your work area. Are they in an area where they are accessable but not in your way? Does it take lots of effort to get to them? Under one of my printers is a platform. It has compartments for paper in it. One side holds a ream of white paper, the other side holds card stock and other speciality papers. Once a month or so I take a few minutes and refill everything. The peper is there when I need it. The refills are on the bookshelf behind my desk - easy access. Making sure that we have adequate storage space for books and cd's is also important!
3. Filing Equipment
Everyone needs a good filing system. Whether it be a small two drawer or several filing cabinets all lined up in your office you need a way to store your genealogy files. There are lots of ways to store your files, everything from filing cases on wheels to desks with filing drawers in them, and of course the good old fashioned filing cabinets in steel gray! ANd of course your choices don't end there. Hanging or regular folders? 2, 3, or 4 drawers? Lateral or other? Measure your space, plan ahead, and get what works for you. This equipment doesn't have to cost a fortune. I've gotten legal cabinets for free, others I've paid between $12 and $20 for. The most expensive was a new two drawer that I paid $40 for. Whatever you buy be sure to take your measurements, be sure it fits and that is going to be accessable to you. If you have to run down two flights of stairs to file your papers your ancestors files may never be in order!
4. Telephones
Our house like many others in this day and age has multiple phone lines. Of those lines one is dedicated totally to my computer. With the availability of cable modems and DSL lines increasing phone lines is not always neccessary. But make sure you have a phone at your disposal. Nothing worse than getting in the middle of some files or data entry and have to run in the other room to get the phone.
5. Lighting
This is probably one of the most important aspects of any work area. Bad lighting can lead to sight problems and misread manuscripts. There are many different options available in the lighting area as well. Again I recommend that you shop for what works for you. I prefer track lighting, no matter where I find myself working I can shift my lights to work where I am. Good lighting is important no matter what type of office you have.
6. Maps & Reference Materials
There are just some things I think are very important to genealogical research and I think one of the most important is maps. Having access to good maps and good places to put them is vital to good research. I have very little wall space in my office so my maps are either on my desk in book form (Wm Dollarhides Map Guide to the US Census) or on the ceiling (US & WORLD). Laugh but they work very well there for me!
Books I use mine alot! Which is why they are SO CLOSE to my desk. Cemetery, County, State and any other genealogical book you could want at my fingertips. Not an arms length away. My CD"s are always within reach as well.
7. Computer / Genealogical tracking materials
For those of us who use a computer to track our ancestors getting a machine and its componets that have adequate memory and speed for us is vital to making our work space function. Finding a genealogy program that works for us is just as important. For those who don't use a computer, getting the writing utensils and notebooks to fit into a good filing system we can manage is also very important.
In Summary I think that the two most important factors in putting together an effective Genealogical work area are
**Finding an area or space that fits your needs and works for you
**Organizing the work space that you have so that the equipment and materials are readily at hand and organized in a manner that WORKS FOR YOU!
Good Luck!
Roundtable:
members briefly mention a success or a problem or ask a question, and the club members offer suggestions.
Dinner after the meeting??
FGC March Meeting Last updated September 13, 2000. Comments?