The question was asked, “What do I do if a patron comes into the FHC and I (with minimal or no training) am the only person available to help them?” Here are some suggestions (I welcome any additions!)
Ask “How may I help you?”
If they already have films or know what to do, just say, “Please go ahead.”
If they are unsure, ask “What country and time period are you interested in researching?”
If they are researching Canada, USA or UK between 1840-1910, suggest they check the records in Ancestry.com and other commercial sites (Computers > Portal > Premium Sites > Ancestry.com)
For all areas of the world and a wider time-span, suggest FamilySearch.org (Computers > Portal > FamilySearch > Records)
Then try searching the Trees on FamilySearch.org by clicking the Trees menu.
And also try:
Family History Library Catalog (i.e. the list of the microfilmed records). This can be found in Computers > Portal > FamilySearch > Catalog > Place-name
They can find if we have microfilmed records for the time and place they are researching.
Films can be rented for 90 days at film.familysearch.org, and viewed at the FHC.
To find resources for research, try wiki.familysearch.org and search for the place.
If they want training, suggest the training videos at Computers > Portal > Learn
There are hundreds of training videos to choose from, for beginners to advanced researchers, and in a variety of countries.
OK … what other suggestions do you have?
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