PRINTING YOUR FAMILY HISTORY BOOK
MADE SIMPLE
BY DR. JOHN A. OUTTERSON
© Copyright 1999
John A. Outterson
DeLand, Florida
All Rights Reserved.
Download entire book as a PDF.
CONTENTS
GENERAL CONCEPTS 3
Layout Of The Book 3
Editor 3
Camera Ready 4
Typing 4
Margins 5
Pagination 5
Print (Font) 5
Text Format 6
THE FRONT MATERIAL 8
The Page Format 8
The Page Order 9
THE BODY 14
Photographs 14
Maps 17
Documents 17
Lineage Charts 20
BACK MATERIAL 22
Appendixes 22
Bibliography 22
Indexes 22
CONSIDERATIONS 25
The Printer 25
The Cost of Printing and Binding 26
Book Distribution 27
Copyrights and Registrations 29
THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOKLET (Page 1:)
I feel that all of us have an obligation to preserve and promote an understanding of our heritage and transmit our family legacy to our descendants. Many people work very hard to collect information about their family and their heritage and then never put it into a
form which can be saved for future generations. People have organized and written their family story but then stopped because they felt they could not take the next step, getting it printed and bound. This step is not difficult. In fact, it is rather easy. I want to explain what you need to do to preserve your hard work and make it available for future generations.
There are many types of printing and bookbindings. One can go from Xerox copies stapled together to cloth-back, bound books printed on acid-free paper which will not yellow with age and will last for many years. Most libraries require that books placed on deposit with them be "library standard," which means a book printed on acid-free paper and with a cloth, hard-back binding.
After all the time and effort that you have put into researching and collecting information about your family, I would recommend that you consider the library standard for your family history book. It may seem expensive but when you consider the investment that you have already made in terms of time, effort and money, it really is not. I think that you have to look at it as completing your investment for your descendants. (Back to the Top.)
(Page 2:) I am not writing for the professional writer but for the amateur writer like myself. I have taken liberties in my writing to simplify the printing and binding process. The method I will explain may not be the same used by commercial publishing houses but it will produce a quality book. The purpose of this booklet is to provide you with a step by step method of arranging your family story into a format for printing and having it printed on acid-free paper and bound with a cloth, hard-back binding. There is no doubt that your family story deserves to be printed and bound in a beautiful volume of which you can be proud. (Back to the Top.)
GENERAL CONCEPTS (Page 3)
There are three major parts to a book, the front material, the body, and the back material. I will explain the arrangement of each part and what is included. But first some general considerations.
LAYOUT OF THE BOOK
The text of the book should be organized in some logical manner. That manner is the personal choice of the author. Some people like to use a time-line organization. Others prefer that each
generation be written about in a separate chapter with subsections for each family. Some people prefer to have each chapter based upon the line of a single family. Whatever organization you use, there should be some logic to it.
EDITOR
I am not a professional writer and I doubt that you are either. For this reason it is important that a person who can recognize poor grammar, sentence structure and misspellings examine whatever you write. I suggest that
you get someone to look over your writings and make corrections so that your final product will be something of which you can be proud. Usually we have friends who will do this for us. Your printer may also be able to help you locate someone to edit your book. If you are unable to find someone, you may seek help from a community or senior college where someone can refer you to a student majoring in journalism. You may have to pay them a small amount but it is well worth it. (Back to the Top.)
CAMERA READY (Page 4)
One of the easiest and an inexpensive way to have your book printed is to have the book typed on a computer exactly the way you want the finished copy to look. This way you can be assured exactly what you are going to get as a finished product. The quality of the print is best if you use a laser or ink jet printer. You must leave blank spaces on the page where you want the photographs to be inserted in your book. The size of the
space will determine the size of the printed picture. The printer will fit the photographs into the book as you prescribe in terms of size and location. This is explained later. The printer calls this method, camera ready.
TYPING
I suggest that you use a computer for writing your book, employing either WORD PERFECT OR MICROSOFT WORD which are the two most common word-processing computer programs. I am not a very good typist but using the old-fashion, two
finger method I am able to do a pretty good job of typing if I take my time and employ the backspace corrective feature associated with the computer programs above.
People who can type will not have any difficulty. But there are people who do not have my patience and do not trust their ability. If this is your case, I would suggest that you get someone to type your written family story using one of the computer programs above. Your printer may be able to suggest someone who will type your story. If you can not find someone, I would suggest that you go to a local college and inquire about getting a student to type it for you. Most colleges have many students who would be happy to (Page 5:) earn extra money for doing some typing. You will have to pay them about a dollar or two a page. (Back to the Top.)
MARGINS
Margins are very important, as binding the pages requires extra margin space. Additional
margin space is needed for trimming the pages of the books after they are printed and collected so your book will have a nice finished look. For these reason I recommend that page margins be set at left and right at 1.1" and top and bottom at 1.2" with the footer at .9" for all pages of your book. The footer is the location of the page number.
PAGINATION
Pagination of the body and back material should be in consecutive order using Arabic
numerals. Numbering for the front material (the beginning of the book that precedes the main text) uses small Roman numerals. I suggest that the page number be placed at the bottom center, if the footer has been set at .9", the page numbers will appear at that location. Numbering the pages of the front material is explained later. A!! pages of the text must have a printed page number even if there is no writing on the page.
PRINT (FONT)
The computer
programs above allow you to choose the type of print (the font) that you want in your book. The most important thing about the print is that it should be easy to read. Here are some examples of commonly used print. (Page 6:) (Back to the Top.)
Arial 12 Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.
Arial 14 Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.
Times Roman 12 Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.
Times Roman 14 Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.
Script 12 Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.
The type of font you use is a matter of personal choice. Just set the program of the computer to the font that your prefer. I personally like to use Arial 14 for my text.
If I am copying a handwritten letter or document like a will, I prefer to use the Brush Script MT 20 because it looks more like the handwritten document I am copying. You should remember that the formal names of all printed matter to which you refer in the text should be italicized. (Note: I am not able to reproduce the "Brush Script" font for this web page. "Script" font has been substituted – but still many will not be able to see this font unless it is installed on your computer. – Tara)
TEXT FORMAT
You will notice in this paragraph that the right margin is squared. This is called justified. I like the took of it so that is what I use. Just set the program to "justified" and it will produce that nice square look. You will also notice that the spacing in this paragraph is different than what you have been reading. That is because I set the spacing (the distance between the lines) in earlier writing at 1 ½ spaces while
what you are reading is set a single space. Just set the computer program to single or 1 Vi space and it will print it that way. The preceding and following paragraphs are set at 1 ½ spaces and they are justified. I like to use 1 ½ spaces because each line is separated and easy to read. Which do you like? (Back to the Top.)
(Page 7:) I would also recommend that you set the computer to hyphenate automatically. If you do not and you use "justified" text, it leaves very large gaps between words.
Avoid the use of bold print or other forms of emphasis as it is like a slap in the face. Save the use of bold print, which is available on the computer programs, for the chapter title page, the heading on the first page of a chapter, and headings in subsections of a chapter.
All beginning sections of the book, including the front material, chapter title pages, first page of every chapter, appendixes, bibliography and index always start on the right hand page, an odd numbered page. (Back to the Top.)
THE FRONT MATERIAL (Page 8:)
The front material is very important. The format of the material is for the most part standardized. The following is the generally accepted format for writing the front material and I would suggest that you follow it.
THE PAGE FORMAT
Certain pages of the front material do not carry printed page numbers but are counted as pages. A page without any printing carries no printed page number but is counted as a page. Small case Roman numerals are used to number the pages. This numbering system is available on the suggested computer programs.
The Front material is divided into parts. These parts in their order include HALF TITLE PAGE, FULL TITLE PAGE, COPYRIGHT PAGE, DEDICATION PAGE, PICTURE PAGE, CONTENTS, PREFACE, FORWARD, INTRODUCTION and the numbered HALF TITLE PAGE that precedes the body of the book. Ail parts of the Front material start on the right hand page except the COPYRIGHT PAGE, starting with page i. All right hand pages are odd numbered pages.
The location of the page numbers should be the same as the location used for the body of the book. I would recommend that the page numbers be centered on the bottom of the page and about .9" from the bottom of the page. This location is called the footer and is established when you set the margins for the book. The footer is the same throughout the book. (Back to the Top.)
THE PAGE ORDER (Page 9:)
Page i Half Title Page: Only the title of the book is printed on this page. All right hand pages are odd number pages. This page does not carry a printed page number.
Page ii The back side of the Half Title Page is blank and does not have a printed page number.
Page iii Full Title Page: Is the same as the Half Title Page with the addition of the author's name. (By Joe Blow
Blow) The page may also include the publisher's name and address on the bottom of the page. This page does not carry a printed page number.
Page iv Copyright Page: This is the back side of the Full Title page. It does not have a printed page number.
- This page carries the following:
© Copyright 1999
Author's Name
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Catalogue Number
(if available)
International Book Serial Number
(If available)
(Page 10:)
- Name of Publisher
(optional "Published by Author" may be used)
Address of Publisher
(If author published, use author's hometown)
Page v Picture Page: This is optional. A picture of the author or something else that is considered important is sometimes included. This page does not carry a printed page number.
Page vi Backside of the Picture Page is left blank. This page does not carry a printed page number.
Page vii Dedication Page: This is optional. This page does not carry a printed page number. This page might include such things as:
- "This book is dedicated to my father and mother who not only gave me life but a value system that has provided my life with direction and strength."
Page viii Backside of the Dedication Page is left blank. This page does not carry a printed page number.
Page ix Contents Page: This page lists the page numbers of the chapters and chapter subsections included in the body, the appendixes, bibliography and index. It also includes any required or optional sections of the front material on which page numbers are printed including the Preface, Forward and Introduction. The Content Page has a printed page number. (Page 11:) (Back to the Top.)
The Content Page may be more than one page in which case each page used for the content must have a printed page number. If more than one page is used for the content, the numbering of the following pages will need to be adjusted to maintain consecutive numbering of pages.
Page x Backside of the Content Page. If this page is the continuation of the Content Page, it has a printed page number. If it is not used, then it is left blank and does not have a printed page number.
Page xi Preface Page: This is optional. This page describes in general what the book is about and why. It also contains the constraints under which the author operated and the assistance that was made available to him. if the book is subject to containing omissions or errors, an apology should be included in the preface.
The preface may be more than one page in which case each page used for the preface has a printed page number.
Page xii Backside of the Preface Page. If this page is the continuation of the Preface Page, it has a printed number. If it is not used, then it is left blank and does not have a printed page number.
Page xiii Forward Page: This is optional. This page is an acknowledgement of the importance of the book and is written by someone other than the author. Usually it is written by a (Page 12:) friend, an authority or someone close to the author. Usually it is someone that is familiar with events, progress and development of the book and its contents. Usually the forward is one page but it may be more, in which case each page used for the forward has a printed page number. (Back to the Top.)
Page xiv Backside of the Forward Page. If this page is the continuation of the Forward Page, it has a printed number. If it is not used, then it is left blank and does not have a printed page number.
Page xv Introduction Page: This is optional but highly recommended. The Introduction Page describes the book and what the reader can expect. It is an overview of what will follow. The introduction may be more than one page, in which case each page used for the introduction has a printed page number.
Page xvi Backside of the Introduction Page. if this page is the continuation of the introduction, it has a printed number. If it is not used as a continuation of the introduction, then it is left blank and does not have a printed page number.
Page xvii Half Title Page: This page is a repeat of the first page in the front material except this page has a printed page number on it. It announces that the body of the book is the next page to be read. (Page 13:) (Back to the Top.)
Page xviii Backside of the numbered Half Title Page. It is blank and does not have a printed page number. This is the end of the front material.
The page numbers of the above will change depending on whether the optional sections are included and the number of pages used for each section. The next page in the book is the first page of the body of the book. (Back to the Top.)
THE BODY (Page 14:)
I find that including photographs, maps, charts and copies of wills, land grants, marriage licenses, old letters, newspaper articles, newspaper obituaries, land transactions, awards and recognitions, and excerpts from books add much to understanding the contributions of our ancestors.
PHOTOGRAPHS
I can not begin to convey the importance of
including photographs in a family history book. We all have old pictures that tell us much about the people. Including copies of pictures in your book preserves the likeness of your ancestors, you and your contemporaries for the descendants of your family.
A good printer can insert a picture in the text of your story. But you have to help him. The printer needs to know how large or small you want the picture in the book. You do this by the amount of room you leave for the picture in the text material. For example, if you want the picture in the book to be about 5" high then you need to leave about 6" of space in your writing so that the printer can fit the picture in the written page. I usually write beneath the space for the picture, what it is about or the names of the people in the picture.
Some old pictures might appear to be in such sad shape that they can not be used. If the old picture is important to the story, it may be worthwhile to take it to a photography center devoted to restoring old photographs. One (Page 15:) can expect to pay from twenty-five to fifty dollars for each picture depending on the condition of the old picture. (Back to the Top.)
See how much the following picture adds to the family story.
 |
THE FAMILY HOMESTEAD BUILT IN 1826
A modem printer is also equipped to enlarge or reduce most pictures that are 8" X 10" or smaller. He is also equipped to crop any picture so that you have only that part of the picture that you want reproduced in your book. You must show the printer exactly what you want included. To do this you must make a Xerox copy of the picture and draw on the copy what part of the picture you want included. Include this copy with your picture. (Page 16:) (Back to the Top.)
You may choose to have colored photos reproduced in your book, either in color or black and white. Including pictures in color cost more but can add greatly to the book but including too many can be expensive. You may choose to have only some pictures in color and others on black and white. The pictures that you want in color must be noted. Obviously, if the pictures are already black and white that is the only way they can be reproduced for your book.
Each picture that you want included in your book should be numbered on the back and put into its individual picture envelope with the picture number on the outside of the picture envelope. Number your pictures based upon in what chapter they are to appear and in what order. Thus, the fourth picture in Chapter Two would be coded 2-4, and the fifth picture in Chapter Eight would be coded 8-5.
You may want to have just a portion of a picture reproduced for inclusion in your book. This is called cropping and you will need to show the printer exactly how you want the finished picture to look. To do this a Xerox copy of the picture showing the cropping you desire should be included in the picture envelope. A note should be written on the outside of the envelope indicating that cropping is needed.
For each picture there is needed a copy of the page of the text where the picture is to be inserted with the picture number on it. All of these pages should be packaged together with one page for each picture that is to be included in the book. After your book is printed, the printer will return your pictures to you. (Back to the Top.)
MAPS (Page 17:)
I recommend that maps be included so readers might get a better understanding of the area. Sometimes one can find old maps showing where the family homestead was located. This adds greatly to the appreciation of the
history of the family for one can go to the same property and walk in the footsteps of their ancestors. Including a description of the history, topography and geography of the area in which the people lived helps explain their way of life and the trials that they experienced.
DOCUMENTS
Including copies of stories found in newspapers and books lend an authenticity to your writings. The ensuing is
an example of what I mean. The following is a copy of a news story announcing Andrew J. Johnson's death, which appeared in the Sunday, November 18, 1951, edition of The FloridaTimesUnion, a Jacksonville, Florida newspaper.
Andrew J. Johnson, Former Sheriff for Nassau County, Dies
FERNANDINA, Nov. 17 — Andrew Jackson Johnson, 83, died tonight at his residence here after a long illness.
He was a former sheriff of Nassau County, serving from 1909 to 1921. Mr. Johnson also represented the county in the Florida Legislature for one term shortly after the turn of the century. He was born in Nassau County and lived in the county all his life. Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Texas Johnson, four daughters, Mrs. Foster Dougherty, Mrs. Frank Ward, Mrs. Ira Gragg, all of Fernandina, and Mrs., William Thweatt of Augusta, Ga., five
sons, Claude and Ralph of Tallahassee, A. J., George and Leo of Fernandina, 16 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements will be announced by Oxley Mortuary. (Back to the Top.)
(Page 18:) When book material or newspaper articles are copied, the name of the source should be stated and the name Italicized. The body of copied material should be single-spaced and indented both right and left which can be done automatically by setting the computer. I use a ½ inch indentation.
Copies of documents related to the people in the story can contribute a great deal to the family story. It may take a great deal of digging but the time and effort spent is well worth the contribution their inclusion makes.
Old official documents can be found in the official files located in courthouses and the archives and libraries of historical societies.
For example, when I was writing about the Daughartys, I found an old copy of an English Land Grant dated in 1760, awarding John Daugharty 200 acres of land for assisting the Crown in it war with the Indians.
Old letters can sometimes be found in the vertical files of libraries and genealogical and historical libraries. I found a letter dated in 1837 from an early settler in Ohio to his brother who remained on the old family homestead in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The letter reveals the hardships and joys of pioneer life in the new frontier. Sometimes one can find old documents and letters in the possession of old relatives. Including copies of these old documents contribute much to the story of the family.
The following is a copy of a marriage license that was issued to John Johnson and Betsy Douglas. Don't you think it adds a lot to the Johnson family story? (Page 19:) (Back to the Top.)
 |
LINEAGE CHARTS (Page 20:)
I suggest that lineage charts be included in the text so that readers can see the relationship of the people in the
story. When one is reading the story of a family, it is easier to understand the brothers and sisters and their children if a chart is included in the body rather than in the Appendix.
I construct a lineage chart much like a flow chart. Below the title for the chart, such as CHART G, I center the name of the main person with dates of birth and death, followed below by the name of the spouse with dates of birth and death.
Below these names I list in smaller print the names of their children and dates of birth and death, followed below with the names and dates for their spouses.
Below the child's entry of the main lineage line I am writing about, I write "See Chart _" which is the next chart to be addressed in the family story.
On the chart, below the names of each brother and sister and their spouses, ! list in even smaller print the names of their children.
I have included an example of a chart so that you might understand what I am talking about. Notice how I handled the listing of "Allie Irene" since she was married twice.
The continuation of the family story is about Andrew Jackson Rowe as indicated by the notation "See Chart N". Andrew's children are included in Chart N. (Back to the Top.)
(Page 21:)
 |
BACK MATERIAL (Page 22:)
The back material follows the body of the book and includes the appendixes, a bibliography and the Indexes in that order.
APPENDIXES
The use of appendixes is optional. If only one appendix is used, it is labeled Appendix. If more than one appendix is used, they are identified as Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C and etc. and so noted in the Content Page in the front material.
An appendix is used for material that you find important but if you were to include it in the body, it would detract from the story. You may want to include in an appendix a table, chart, copy of a document, map, copy of a transcription, photograph or author's notes.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The use of a bibliography is optional. The bibliography is a list of the sources consulted in writing the book. It serves as supporting documentation of the book material. The bibliography may also include reference material that a person who is reading the book or doing research on the family may want to consult.
INDEXES
The use of an index is almost mandatory. The index may be of people or subject or a combination. It is sometimes valuable to make separate indexes if either index is very long. If the book is primarily about people, the (Page 23:) author may want to forgo the use of a subject index. There are many formats for the index. When writing a book using Word Perfect or Microsoft Word, there is an automatic method to create an index. By using
a special marking procedure in the body of the book, an index is formed. (Back to the Top.)
The following is an example of what a name index would look like using this special marking feature of Word Perfect or Microsoft Word.
Gulp
- Elizabeth, 262
John, 262
Dahiman
- Cathy, 353
Charles, 350,352
Harry, 350,353,438
Peggy, 353
Sandol, 350,438
Trudy, 353
Danson
- Betty, 131
Eugene, 131
Patricia, 131
Daugharty
- Alief, 256
Charlotte, 258
When using the indexing feature of these programs, the names are automatically alphabetized by last name and first name, multiple listings of a person on the same page are eliminated, and listings of the same person on subsequent pages are listed in numerical order by page.
If you are using Microsoft Word, you create the book index after the whole book is typed. You start at the first page and with the computer, block every name or topic that you want to appear in the index. You then hold down at the same time the shift and alt keys and strike x. This will produce a display (Page 24:) on the screen in which you type the first name of the person and then strike MARK. This will be noted in the computer. When you have finished doing this for all the names or topics in the book, turn to the last page of the book and using INSERT you select "index and tables" from the menu and the book index will appear with all the names. (Back to the Top.)
CONSIDERATIONS (Page 25:)
You now have the book ready for printing. Now you will have to find a printer and someone to bind your book. Let me offer some thoughts on these topics.
THE PRINTER
The key to having a beautiful book is having a printer who knows and understands the importance of what you are doing. Such a person will work very closely with you to assure you that a product will be produced that both
you and he will be very proud. It is difficult to find such a printer. I looked far and wide before I found such a printer. Not only did he print my books but he had them bound just the way I wanted. As a result, I now have two books of which I am very proud. Following is his name and address for your information.
Mr. Jim Decker
Perfection Printing
907 South Woodland Blvd.
DeLand, Florida 32720
(904) 738-3186
I am not suggesting that you use this printer but a number of people who have admired my books were impressed and asked me the name of my printer. It is for this reason that I have included it here. You may want to look around in your area, like I did, and find a printer that will work with you.
Good luck, as they are hard to find.
(Back to the Top.) (Page 26:)
I wanted my books printed on acid-free paper, so they would never yellow. I wanted heavy, non-translucent paper that was very bright. I wanted a cloth binding and of a certain quality and color. It costs a little more to have them done this way but they will still be around a hundred years from now. I did not want cheap pulp paper books that would yellow and break up in a few years.
THE COST OF PRINTING AND BINDING
The cost of printing and binding also varies based upon the number of pages and pictures and how many pictures are to be in color. Usually a minimum of 100 books are printed. However, the cost per book is greatly reduced with a larger printing. The more copies you have printed, the lower the cost per book.
At this point in time, I will offer you some ball-park figures for printing and binding your book, assuming that you have it camera ready. For 50 top quality books of 200 pages with a moderate number of pictures would cost about $2,500 or about $50 per book, 100 books about $3,000 or $30 per book, and 200 books about $4,600 or about $23 per book. Obviously, the more books that you have done, the cost per book goes down. The more pictures you have to be included, the cost goes up, especially if the pictures are to be in color.
If the printer must reformat your book, the cost increases tremendously. If you want your book printed cheaply, you must have your book camera ready by following the prior instructions presented in this booklet. (Back to the Top.)
BOOK DISTRIBUTION (Page 27:)
If you have done all of the work to put together a family book, it is imperative that the book gets wide
distribution. Of course, there are the family members and their children who would want a copy of your book by which to remember you. It also is important that each receive a copy so that they might appreciate their heritage and the contributions your family has made to their community.
A copy of your book should be sent to every library in the area of the country where people of your family have lived or are living. Friends and past acquaintances of your relatives want to read your book. There are state archives, historical societies, and ethnic libraries that would like to have a copy. There are many ethnic libraries and they should not be overlooked.
The addresses of these libraries and historical societies can be found in a reference book in your local library. You can also find the addresses of genealogical societies in the library that may want to have a copy of your work.
You have two choices. You can send a copy of your book with a cover letter or send the organization a letter asking them if they would like to have a copy. If you do the latter, sometimes you will not hear from them for months.
I have never had a copy of my book refused so I prefer to send a copy of the book with a cover letter. The following is a copy of a letter that I have used when I have sent a book. (Page 28:) (Back to the Top.)
Genealogy Department
Public Library and/or
Historical Society
Dear Sirs:
I have written a biographical history of the Johnson family of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, from 1730 to the present. The book includes the early history in Lancaster County of the Johnson and the Caughey families. The branch of the Johnson family about whom I have written moved from Lancaster County to Wayne County, Ohio in 1835 and to St. George, Georgia in 1908. The descendants of this family are scattered throughout the United States. My 220-page book is hardbound and printed on 60 pound acid-free paper. Historical documents, newspaper articles, old letters, and pictures of the descendants of the Lancaster County Johnsons have been reproduced and included in the book.
There are descendants of this branch of the Johnson family living in your area and I am sure they would like to see this book in your collection. For this reason I am sending you a copy of my book, TheJohnsonsofSt. George,Georgia, at no cost to you, for inclusion in your genealogical collection. For your information, a copy of the book has been placed in the Church of Latter Day Saints library in Salt Lake City.
Respectfully,
I was dismayed and later amused when I was visiting a library I had sent a copy of my book and I could not find the book on the shelf in the regular stacks, I inquired of the librarian (she did not know I was the author) about my book and asked to see it. She retrieved the book from behind the library counter and asked me to return the book to her when I was finished. I asked why it was kept behind the counter and not on the shelf. She told me it was her only copy and so many people wanted to read it that she felt it needed extra security. This will happen when a family is well known in an area. (Page 29:) (Back to the Top.)
If you have traced your family back to the old-world, you may want to send your book to an ethnic library. The following, a repository for Scottish Families, is an example of an ethnic library.
Scottish Heritage Repository
Odom Genealogy Library
204 5th Street, Southeast
Post Office Box 1110
Moultrie, GA 31776-1110
(912-985-6540)
One copy of your book should be sent to the Church of Latter-Day Saints which has become the national and international depository for all family records. The address is as follows:
Family History Library
Church of Latter-Day Saints
35 North West Temple Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150
COPYRIGHTS AND REGISTRATIONS
You may want to have your book officially listed nationally and internationally. This is a matter of choice and rather inexpensive. You should consider having your book copyrighted. This protects you from having someone reproduce your book or parts of it without your permission. Just placing "Copyright" in your book offers some protection but to make it official, you need to have it on file in the Copyright Office in Washington. The cost to
register a copyright is at this time, $10. To register your book, you will need to submit a completed application form. You can receive an application form by calling the Copyright Office at (202) 707-3000.
(Page 30:) After you have copyrighted your book and if you would like to have your book located in the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C., you will need an official Library of Congress Catalogue Number. You must agree to send them a copy of your book. The number can be assigned over the telephone by calling the Library of Congress at (202) 707-5000 and asking for an official Library of Congress Catalogue Number.
After you have copyrighted your book and if you would like to have your book registered internationally, you will need to obtain an International Book Serial Number. An IBSN can be assigned over the telephone and can be obtained by calling the following:
I. A. Bowker Company
New York City, New York
(800) 521-8110
[END]
