Cited by 1Digital and Traditional Archives ManagementLibrary Science and InformationLibrary Science and Administration

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 13 of the 16 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 1 of the 45 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Genealogy in the Jewish Library: An Update

Open access
Dwoskin, Beth·2014·Judaica Librarianship

Abstract

In 1992, Judaica Librarianship featured an article by Zachary Baker, entitled “What We Owe the Genealogists: Genealogy and the Judaica Reference Librarian.” He followed it up in 2003 with an article in Slavic & East European Information Resources entitled “Resources on the Genealogy of Eastern European Jews.” The present article provides an update on the resources available to Jewish genealogists today, with particular emphasis on print and online resources that are recommended for the smaller Judaica library. It lists some of the sources in Baker’s article that have been updated and some that have gone online. It describes JewishGen, Routes to Roots, the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute, the Family History Library, the International Tracing Service, and PERSI, the comprehensive index to genealogical serials. It emphasizes the importance of local genealogi- cal societies and their newsletters.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This article updates resources for Jewish genealogy in smaller Judaica libraries, emphasizing Avotaynu print tools and major online portals such as JewishGen, Routes to Roots, and the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute. It argues librarians should bookmark key sites, leverage local genealogical societies, and collect local newsletters to serve genealogists.

Key findings

  • Avotaynu is the central print publisher; its quarterly *Avotaynu* (1985–present) had its first 24 volumes on CD-ROM (Windows only) with index for $99.95 as of September 2009, with an upgrade for $39.95, and *Getting Started in Jewish Genealogy* cost $11.
  • JewishGen is described as the foremost website; its Family Finder contains 400,000 surnames and towns, ShtetLinks covers over 200 communities, and its Family Tree of the Jewish People contains data on nearly four million people.
  • Other recommended resources include Routes to Roots, the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute, the Family History Library, the International Tracing Service, and PERSI; local genealogical societies and their newsletters are important for unindexed local records.
  • JewishGen favors Ashkenazic researchers; there is no separate Mizrachi SIG, Mizrachi needs are addressed by the Sephardic SIG, and only one Sephardic genealogy book is noted—Jeffrey S. Malka’s *Sephardic Genealogy*, 2nd ed. 2009.

Methods

  • This is a resource review/update article, not an empirical study; no formal sample, data collection, or analysis is described.
  • It updates Zachary M. Baker’s 1992 *Judaica Librarianship* article and references Baker’s 2003 *Slavic & East European Information Resources* article, recommending print and online resources for smaller Judaica libraries.

Limitations

  • No limitations section is stated in the paper.
  • Evident from the text: prices and resource availability are given “as of September 2009,” and website access dates are 2009, so the update is time-bound.
  • Evident from the text: coverage is selective and recommendation-oriented, not a systematic or exhaustive evaluation of all genealogy resources.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.14263/2330-2976.1044

Cites

13 of 13 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

39 Sources not found · 12 No basis given · 10 Own interpretation · 1 Supported

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 42
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 27
57 of 57
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The first roadblock for many Jewish genealogists is identifying their ancestral shtetl.

    “The first roadblock for many Jewish genealogists is identifying their ancestral shtetl, so this work is critical to have.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The biggest problem people have with tombstones is deciphering the dates.

    “The biggest problem people have with tombstones is deciphering the dates.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Another obstacle for genealogists is the language barrier, especially when dealing with tombstones.

    “Another obstacle for genealogists is the language barrier, especially when dealing with tombstones.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Synagogue and federation records are erratic, unindexed, and private.

    “Synagogue and federation records are erratic, unindexed, and private.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Legally, an institution can no longer release synagogue and federation records casually.

    “Legally, an institution can no longer release them casually.”
5 of 5

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

2 of 2

Citations

Cites

Show all 16 references

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Kurzweil, Arthur (1994). From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History. Revised edition. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
  2. Kurzweil, Arthur (2004). From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History. Updated edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint, 2004.
  3. Mokotoff, Gary; Sack, Sallyann Amdur; Sharon, Alexander (2002). Where Once We Walked: A Guide to the Jewish Communities Destroyed in the Holocaust. Revised edition.

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Metadata

Authors
Dwoskin, B.
Corresponding author
Dwoskin, Beth
Venue
Judaica Librarianship
Published
2014-04-15
Volume
15
Issue
1
Pages
13-24
ISSN
  • 0739-5086 (ISSN-L)
  • 2330-2976
OpenAlex
W1990894574
Cited by
1
References
16
Citations by year
2022: 1
FWCI
0.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
Judaica librarianship (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Conservation › Digital and Traditional Archives Management
  • Social Sciences › Library and Information Sciences › Library Science and Information
  • Social Sciences › Library and Information Sciences › Library Science and Administration
Keywords
Jewish genealogy, genealogical resources, Eastern European Jews, International Tracing Service, Persis

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