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Journey to your past!

Birmingham Archives and Heritage have achieved one of their BEST actions as their new Journey To Your Past pack goes on sale in Central Library.....with a little help from the Dragon’s Den.

At their BEST workshop last year, the Public Services Team identified a need for an information pack for customers tracing their family tree. A small team, which included the Genealogist, Doreen Hopwood, and the BEST Leader for 2009 Liz Palmer, secured funding from the Dragon’s Den for printing the pack which guides their readers through some of the many and varied sources available in Archives and Heritage.

The pack has been a real team effort and involved members of staff producing information sheets on sources including civil registration, parish registers and newspapers. With the design skills of Brigitte Winsor, the information sheets are complimented by images to explain what information these records contain and how they can help researchers.

Some of the sources can be difficult to understand, and by providing actual images, researchers can feel more confident in locating and using the sources for themselves. Although the information sheets are based on sources held in Archives and Heritage, these sources are common to many record offices and libraries throughout the country.

The packs provide useful contact details and guidance for beginners, but will also be of benefit to all levels of experience, and all levels of computer expertise as the focus is primarily on paper-based sources.

Journey To Your Past will make an ideal gift for any budding genealogist and the packs are available to purchase from Birmingham Archives and Heritage, on Floor 6 of the Central Library, at a cost of £5.00 per pack.

Contact Birmingham Archives and Heritage on 0121 303 4549 or by e-mail at archives.heritage@birmingham.gov.uk for further details.