Paper Trail

I Can Remember That …Wellll …Maybe Not

I cannot stress how important a paper trail is. It prevents duplication, wasted time, and inaccuracy. It is important to document not only the information you find, but also the places you have searched and what you searched for at that place. Let me give you an example of when I first started. Like most people, I just started in and didn’t worry about the details other than names and dates. In the searching process I came across a picture of my great, great uncle, naturally, I photocopied it; unfortunately, I didn't write down enough information about the book and now I cannot find it. That was how I learned to be very detail oriented. Everyone seems to learn that way, but the good thing is that it usually takes only once.

In this section, we will discuss:

• Forms
• Notes