Appeal for Volunteers 1

	Hello all Local Members. Have you visited your Research Centre recently?
If you haven't looked in at the Research Centre for some time then why not call in soon. The front area has been completely transformed to provided a more pleasant environment. We now have more resources, more equipment and more work space for research. Our library of resources has expanded significantly over the past few years with the addition of many Primary Sources such as microfilm of the Old Parochial Registers covering all of Dumfries and Galloway. Our indexes of local Dumfriesshire newpapers, and fiche library of the actual Newspapers, now covers the period from the first publications in the late 1700s right up to 1930.

New display racks showing our many publications

The Publications Pages on this site takes time to browse and even then you have only seen the Titles we have available.
A visit provides you with the opportunity to browse the book display, see opposite, and get an idea very quickly of what is available.
Many of the items on offer are the work of our own small team of reseachers.
You may even wish to become one of our Centre volunteers who run our Research Centre.

Could you be a Volunteer Helper in the Research Centre?

Our Society would not be able to run this Research Centre if it was not for the time given by our small group of volunteers. Our Council would like to encourage more of our local members to join the volunteers' team and help with the running of our excellent research facility. All we ask is that you consider how you can help your Society staff our Research Centre. Could you offer a minimum of a half-day of your time at intervals that suit you circumstances? The demands on your time need not be great. The half-day could be once every fortnight or every month and need not be on any specific days. Our volunteers are not asked to sign up to any fixed time schedule. Most volunteers have other commitments which place demands on their day. Any contribution you make would be arranged to suit your circumstances, whatever time you can offer would be much appreciated.
Our Summer opening hours are our busiest time with the Centre open daily, Tuesday to Friday.

It is important to know that all new volunteers will be be given training. Probably the best training is doing the job along with an experienced volunteer and picking up the threads as you go along.

If you have used the Centre for your own research you will no doubt have an idea of what is involved assisting visitors who come to do their research. But even if you are not clear about what is involved but are interested, please call in at any time and spend a short while browsing our library, using our resources, and speaking with the duty volunteers. The Centre is always staffed by at least two volunteers with others dropping in for part of a shift. You will certainly be made very welcome.

The more volunteers we have, the better the service we can offer our visiting members and other visitors, many of whom are from over-seas. While some are just casual visitors, many others have made a special trip to SW Scotland to try and further their family history research.
Talking with visitors and helping them make a break-through in their family history research can be a very rewarding experience to both researcher and helper alike.