Investigating the information-seeking behaviour of genealogists and family historians

Abstract

People are increasingly investigating their family history (or genealogy) as part of their everyday information-seeking activities. This paper provides insight into this behaviour and presents a new conceptual model that captures the stages of activity carried out during people’s lifelong family history research. The model offers a multi-phase view of the research process, intended to illustrate: (a) the different research phases themselves; (b) the inter-relationship between phases; (c) distinct phase-specific behaviours; and (d) phase-specific resource preferences. Data collected from amateur family historians by interview and questionnaire has helped to validate the model and provide insights into the information resources used. The findings complement existing knowledge about family history research and will benefit: family historians as they seek to navigate within the research process; providers of genealogical resources as they seek to better support users; and academics as they study information-seeking behaviours in various contexts.