If you’ve wanted to try Evernote but been reluctant to take on a new tool or if you’re an Evernote user who wants to use this powerful free software to the max, How to Use Evernote for Genealogists is the kind of tech guide that will show you how to become a more efficient and effective researcher using Evernote.
I’ve been a fan of Evernote since it’s 2008 debut as the one place to “Remember Everything,” but I’ve discovered how to make the Elephant do even more with How to Use Evernote for Genealogists by Kerry Scott, from FamilyTree Books.
Kerry is an Evernote master of tricks I’d never even considered. Census Extracts, for starters. I’ve used spreadsheet templates successfully to extract household census information and track meandering ancestors, but I definitely have a love-hate relationship with Excel. Using census form templates in Evernote is a handy method for recording information in a very user-friendly format. And to make it easier, Kerry has designed specific Evernote census templates for each U.S. census from 1790 to 1940. You can copy the form from the book or download a digital version with the included link.
Genealogists manage a lot of data, and Kerry gives specific examples and tips for organizing all kinds of information with Evernote, from genealogy research trips to heirloom histories and oral history interviews. An entire chapter devoted to working with various kinds of digital files takes the guess-work out of using photos, audio, clippings, handwritten notes, PDFs, and documents with Evernote.
And because no two researchers work exactly the same way, Kerry shows different methods to organize Evernote stacks, notebooks, and tags. Easy to follow examples and screenshots illustrate that with Evernote, there really are many ways to organize and manage your information. Fans of Kerry’s genealogy blog, Clue Wagon, will appreciate her lighthearted, no-nonsense approach in sharing Evernote’s best features for family historians.
Kerry understands that getting started with a new organizational system can be daunting, so she gives simple instructions and clearly describes the pros and cons of various options when you’re just starting out with Evernote. Her approach is reassuring for newbies and inspiring for seasoned Evernote users.
How to Use Evernote for Genealogists doesn’t stop with research solutions. As a busy wife, mom, and blogger, Kerry uses Evernote to handle all kinds of information. I love her smart idea to use different Stacks for the different roles in her life: personal, business, client, research.
If you’ve wanted to try Evernote but been reluctant to take on a new tool or if you’re an Evernote user who want to use this powerful free software to the Max, How to Use Evernote for Genealogists is the kind of tech guide that will show you how to become a more efficient and effective researcher using Evernote. How to Use Evernote for Genealogists available from FamilyTree Books and from Amazon.com.
Disclosure: I was provided with a no-strings-attached pre-release copy of the book for this review. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.
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