Suggestions for Obtaining Records. You may be able to get the records you need in the following ways:

• Family History Library. The Library is open to the public and charges no fees for using the records. For more information, write to:
  

Family History Library
35 North West Temple Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84150-3400

• Family History Centers. The Family History Library can loan copies of most records on microfilm to thousands of Family History Centers worldwide. There is a small duplication and postage fee for this service.

• Local Archives and Libraries. Although the Family History Library has many records on microfilm or microfiche, others are available only at local or national archives and libraries. See the “Archives and Libraries” section of this outline for more information.

• Libraries and Interlibrary Loan. Public, academic, and other research libraries may have some published sources for Jewish research. Many provide interlibrary loan services that allow you to borrow records from other libraries.

• Look-Up Exchange. There are lists of people on the Internet who will search various types of records for certain areas free of charge. You can locate these lists through Internet sites such as:
  

http://www.genuki.org/ (for the British Isles)

http://www.posom.com/hl/

• Jewish Genealogical Societies. Many Jewish genealogical societies will do local research for you. A list of these societies can be found at:
  

http://www.jewishgen.org/ajgs/

• Professional Researchers. You can hire a researcher, many of whom specialize in Jewish research. Others specialize in research in various countries or states. Lists of qualified professional researchers for various geographical areas are available from the Family History Library. Archives or family history societies may also provide lists of people who can do research for you. Jewish and other genealogical periodicals usually contain names and addresses of people or companies that do research for hire. Researchers can also be found on genealogy Internet sites.

• Photocopies. The Family History Library and some other libraries offer limited photoduplica-tion services for a small fee. Books protected by copyright cannot be copied in their entirety. However, a few pages can usually be copied for personal research (you must specify the exact pages you need). The library does not copy large portions of a microfilm. To get a copy of a major portion of a film, write to the archive where the original material is stored for permission and then contact the library with your request.
  

To contact libraries or professional researchers or any other family historian, write a brief, specific letter. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped, long envelope when writing within your own country. When writing to a foreign country, enclose three international reply coupons (available from your post office). You will usually need to pay in advance for photocopy or search services.

Suggestions for Searching Records. Follow these principles as you search records for your ancestor:

• Search for one generation at a time. Do not try to connect your family to others who have the same surname if they lived more than a generation earlier than your proven ancestor.
• Search for your ancestor’s entire family. Records may contain clues for identifying other family members. Search other record types and in other localities to find a missing family member.
• Search each source thoroughly. A small piece of information in a record may provide the clue needed to continue your research.
• Search several years before and after the date you think an event occurred. Dates in some sources may not be accurate.
• Do not make assumptions. Your ancestor may not have been born in the place or the year that your records indicate. And the name you knew him or her by may not be the legal name recorded in official government documents.
• Use indexes. Although not every record has been indexed, many have been. Look for an index that includes the time period, event, and place you need. Many indexes include only some of the people mentioned in the record. Make sure you check the original records after using an index.
• Be aware that most Jews did not have surnames prior to 1800. Before surnames were adopted, Jews used a patronymic naming system.
• Watch for spelling variations. Spelling was not standardized until the late 1800s, and names were often written phonetically. Also, if a family moved to a new country with a new language, they often changed the spelling of their name to phonetically conform to that country’s language.