As I prepare for my trip to Providence, RI, next week for the National Genealogical Society’s annual conference, I am reminded that the preparation phase of any trip can make or break the outcome of that trip. I’m going to the conference to vend and do demonstrations and to be part of a panel, so I have unique preparation needs for each of the hats I will be wearing while there. For those who are going to the conference with the goal of conducting local or regional research, a different type of preparation should take place in order to have a successful research outcome. If you don’t know where to start, I’d like to recommend two small books by Paula Stuart Warren, CGRS, and James W. Warren.

Getting the Most Mileage from Genealogical Research Trips, 3d ed. (St. Paul, Minn.: Warren Research & Publishing, 1998). 55 pp. Index. $9.

Making the Most of Your Research Trip to Salt Lake City, 7th ed. (St. Paul, Minn.: Warren Research & Publishing, 1998). 52 pp. Index. $9.50.

The first book, Getting the Most Mileage from Genealogical Research Trips, is broken into three sections: Plans and Preparations, Working on the Road, and Final Words. Each chapter ends with a checklist, reminding you of items you need to accomplish at that point. Chapters 2 and 3 are my particular favorites, as they discuss the preparation phase. Chapter 2, “Review What You Know; Decide Where to Go,” discusses ways to organize your information so you know what you already have and can determine what you need. They recommend writing a brief narrative about the families you are going to work on, as well as preparing a chronology for the families. After you’ve determined what you need to look for, you need to do some research on the areas you’d like to visit to see if the facilities are appropriate for the type of research you want to do. And finally, they encourage you to create a research plan for the trip to focus your efforts for the location and the time available.

Chapter 3, “Work to Do Before Your Trip,” encourages you to learn more about your ancestors and their geographic areas before you go on the trip. You can do this by reading books about the area, by perusing genealogical journals (or doing a search on PERSI at Ancestry.com), and by conducting online searches of various database sites, including Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.com. You might also consider hiring a professional researcher to help you with some of the more difficult aspects of your research.

The remainder of the book focuses on making travel preparations, actually traveling, and efficiently researching while you’re on-site. You’re also reminded to try to eat properly, exercise, and come up for air occasionally (although these are particularly hard if you’re hot on the trail of an elusive ancestor!).

Making the Most of Your Research Trip to Salt Lake City naturally concentrates on the facilities available to you while visiting that city. The book is broken into five chapters: Salt Lake City Information, Salt Lake City Restaurants, Family History Library Information, Hints for Researchers, and Selected Reference List. This book is a must-read for first-time visitors to Salt Lake City and the Family History Library. The first two chapters have indispensable information for travelers, giving recommendations for appropriate clothing, names and addresses of grocery facilities, and comments on various restaurants within the metropolitan area. The third chapter dissects the Family History Library minutely by detailing the locations of reference desks, rest rooms, and drinking fountains; by discussing the various catalogues available; and by explaining how to find books and microforms within the library. I wish I had read this before my first trip to SLC!

The remainder of the book is designed to help you prepare specifically for your research trip. If this is a problem for you, I’d recommend reading the first book discussed above, which goes into much greater detail about preparation for a research trip.

Both books are incredibly useful for those making research trips, regardless of destination. The books are available from Warren Research and Publishing, 1869 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-5938.

Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CGRS, is the managing editor of Genealogical Computing, editor of the Board for Certification of Genealogists’ newsletter OnBoard, the creator of Clooz—the electronic filing cabinet for genealogical records, and a frequent contributor to Ancestry Magazine. She can be reached via e-mail at liz@ancestordetective.com.