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FTF Reference Library .... feedback needed!

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  • FTF Reference Library .... feedback needed!

    We've been looking at some of the sections of the website - how they are used - are they easy to find/search - how can we improve things etc. and would appreciate some feedback on the following:
    • Do you know we have a Reference Library on FTF?
    • Do you know where to find it?
    • Do you know what it contains?
    • Do you use it?
    • Do you know how to search for things?
    • Do you have any suggestions for improving it?


    Please be HONEST in your replies .. even if it's a negative comment!
    Elaine








  • #2
    1. Yes
    2. Yes
    3. Not all the stuff but I enjoy looking and have often come across things that I didn't know were there and they have often proved helpful
    4. Yes
    5. No
    6. To be honest, I just enjoy having a "mooch" around.

    Hope this helps and I have answered it right:o
    Jacky

    Comment


    • #3
      i use it quite a bit and find it very useful esp for stuff i know nothing about.The noddy's guides are very good. what i cant find i put in the search box in the top right hand corner of the page and then click from there thats because i often dont know the right word to use and then i find a question on the forum that gives a link to the right bit of the reference library.
      Angelina

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Elaine ..Spain View Post
        We've been looking at some of the sections of the website - how they are used - are they easy to find/search - how can we improve things etc. and would appreciate some feedback on the following:
        • Do you know we have a Reference Library on FTF?
        • Do you know where to find it?
        • Do you know what it contains?
        • Do you use it?
        • Do you know how to search for things?
        • Do you have any suggestions for improving it?


        Please be HONEST in your replies .. even if it's a negative comment!
        1. Yes - because I'd seen the heading Reference Library (to the left of the word Forum)
        2. Yes - as above
        3. I didn't, until I looked just now.
        4. Nope, sorry, but now I've looked, I might in the future.
        5 and 6. Generally, I'm quite good at searching, but the thing that put me off there in the first place was that when you click on Reference Library, it doesn't actually take you to the RL, it takes you to the Home Page and then you have to click again on something on the l/h side (from the menu) to get into the RL, otherwise you get drawn into the things on the main body of that page, which don't actually refer to the RL. So my initial suggestion would be to separate it from the Home Page.

        HTH
        STG
        Always looking for Goodwins in Berkshire.

        Comment


        • #5
          • Do you know we have a Reference Library on FTF? Yes
          • Do you know where to find it? Yes
          • Do you know what it contains? Yes
          • Do you use it? I have done in the past, but haven't used it for ages.
          • Do you know how to search for things? Yes
          • Do you have any suggestions for improving it? No
          Wendy



          PLEASE SCAN AT 300-600 DPI FOR RESTORATION PURPOSES. THANK YOU!

          Comment


          • #6
            • Do you know we have a Reference Library on FTF?

            Yes, and I have contributed to it in the past
            • Do you know where to find it?

            Yes
            • Do you know what it contains?

            Yes
            • Do you use it?

            Not as much as I used to back when I was a complete novice (and my basic googling skills are better now)
            • Do you know how to search for things?

            Yes
            • Do you have any suggestions for improving it?

            Will have to have a think about that

            Comment


            • #7
              Elaine,
              Being a lazy old bloke just let me answer "yes" to the first five of your question. The only criticism I can offer at the moment

              is the library should be made easier to get into as it takes a bit of "clicking" before the library shows up. I may think of other

              improvements as time goes by.
              Whoever said Seek and Ye shall find was not a genealogist.

              David

              Comment


              • #8
                Yes I do know about the Reference Library.
                I do know where to find it but it is confusing to be taken to the Home page of the site when expecting a Reference Library.
                I do know roughly what it contains and have browsed around on a number of occasions.
                I don't use it as much as I should! (See next point)
                I'm very confused about searching because the search box at the top just does a general search of the site. That puts me off trying harder!
                Quite a lot of web links I have tried are no longer valid. Not sure that you can be expected to do much about that. It would be a huge job to keep them checked.

                Anne

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quote/
                  Quite a lot of web links I have tried are no longer valid. Not sure that you can be expected to do much about that. It would be a huge job to keep them checked. unquote
                  You could add a button to report a broken link then check the link by googling it.

                  I have often given a new link to a MOD in the past when I have come across something useful so I know it is there, but I don't use it as most of my own research is sparse these days and I am a whiz with google but it is a useful tool for new members to FH research.

                  Edna

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    • Do you know we have a Reference Library on FTF? Yes
                    • Do you know where to find it? Yes
                    • Do you know what it contains? yes as had a good look tonight
                    • Do you use it? Hardly ever
                    • Do you know how to search for things? Sometimes
                    • Do you have any suggestions for improving it? Not really but a flask and a sandwich would come in handy for when I get lost in there
                    Last edited by Guest; 03-11-13, 01:01.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Do you know we have a Reference Library on FTF?
                      Do you know where to find it?
                      Do you know what it contains?
                      Do you use it?
                      Yes to the above
                      Do you know how to search for things?
                      If I work thru the indexes, I usually find what I want. But I find the search utility to be a little difficult
                      Do you have any suggestions for improving it?
                      not that I can think of.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        i agree with the suggestion it is hard to find. if you clicked on reference library and it took you straight to it, would be great. i have used it in the past, but these days rarely. i find it more useful for overseas records.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I LOVE our reference library and make it my first port of call for potential links to sources for non-UK research.

                          I recommend the site to beginners BECAUSE of the reference library; I mention the "how to" sections (which should answer a lot of their initial research queries) and also the place/occupation/other topic sections as a useful guide on WHERE to look, with links taking you to those sites.

                          What I haven't been able to do, however, is to follow through by asking how useful people found the site. (These are people I come across at family or local history clinics/help groups etc and as they tend to drop in because they need help with a specific problem, we don't always see them again.)

                          Jay
                          Janet in Yorkshire



                          Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Anne in Carlisle View Post
                            Yes I do know about the Reference Library.
                            I do know where to find it but it is confusing to be taken to the Home page of the site when expecting a Reference Library.
                            I do know roughly what it contains and have browsed around on a number of occasions.
                            I don't use it as much as I should! (See next point)
                            I'm very confused about searching because the search box at the top just does a general search of the site. That puts me off trying harder!
                            Quite a lot of web links I have tried are no longer valid. Not sure that you can be expected to do much about that. It would be a huge job to keep them checked.

                            Anne
                            Anne,

                            I have just tried something out re the broken link/s.

                            if you are on a page that has a broken link, you can copy & paste the broken url into the comments box at the very bottom of that page, this then will hi-light the problem of the broken link and we can then google for a suitable replacement. [or if you decide that you would like to google for a replacement] then that is also OK for you to do, and you can then add the 'new/working' url in the comments box and it should then get picked up by one of us to add into the relevant page in Reference Library.
                            Julie
                            They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

                            .......I find dead people

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Do you know we have a Reference Library on FTF? Yes
                              Do you know where to find it? Yes
                              Do you know what it contains? Yes
                              Do you use it? Sometimes (not as much as I used to but that's more to do with my knowledge increasing). I do try to refer new members to it when approriate
                              Do you know how to search for things? I do but I'd prefer an easier to use search function
                              Do you have any suggestions for improving it?

                              I don't even know if this is possible, but could you make the search box at the top RH side of this page more prominent and have a drop down box so that you can select reference library, forum etc. rather than having to go to advanced search. Some other forums I visit have this
                              Jackie

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Originally posted by elaine ..spain View Post
                                • do you know we have a reference library on ftf? Yes
                                • do you know where to find it? Yes
                                • do you know what it contains? Yes
                                • do you use it? Sometimes
                                • do you know how to search for things? Yes
                                • do you have any suggestions for improving it? Search facility can be a little difficult at times, though I have overcome this by copypasting particular links of interest to me, in my favourites.
                                Not sure how you could improve on search facility as my technology is not up to improving very fast!

                                There is always going to be a problem with websites that change/no longer exist/ new ones. It will be difficult keeping on top of them all continually. Maybe a once a year check up, but even that could be quite an onerous activity for even several people. To be honest, I do a lot of googling, which finds most things I want if a website is no longer available, or changed.

                                Possibly one other point that could be considered. I have recently put on to thread that the GRO address in Dublin has changed again, just within the last month or so and did suggest this should be corrected in the reference section. But instead of each one of us starting a thread on any changes, maybe there could be a permanent thread for changes to be made which might be picked up by Mods on a weekly/monthly basis and changed that way? Then if any of us pick up changed websites or websites that no longer exist that we could highlight those on the same one thread, and for Mods to acknowledge that changes has been made? Just a suggestion, though putting more work on to volunteer shoulders.

                                Janet
                                Last edited by Janet; 03-11-13, 12:54.

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