The Shtetl CO-OP Initiative
What is the Shtetl CO-OP Initiative ?
What is a Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator ?
How can I determine which towns already has a CO-OP Coordinator ?
How can I sign up to be a Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator ?
What help is available for a Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator ?
Is there a Step-by-Step process for a CO-OP Coordinator to follow ?
How do I find vital records locally ?
How do I take an Inventory of records for my town/shtetl ?
How do I build a pool of volunteers ?
When should I submit data to the JRI-Poland Database ?
How do I submit data to the JRI-Poland Database ?
Q: What is the Shtetl CO-OP Initiative ?
A: The Shtetl CO-OP Initiative is the key project that adds records to the JRI-Poland database. The work of these volunteers makes it possible for genealogists around the world to search available indexes of the Jewish vital records of Poland… from the comfort of their own living rooms!
Q: What is a Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator ?
A: Each city or town in Poland represented in the JRI-Poland database will have an official "Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator." This person has volunteered to coordinate the effort to enter all the Jewish records for the city or town that are held in the LDS microfilm collection. In addition to the Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator, there may be a group of volunteers offering to key the actual data into the JRI-Poland database. In some cases, particularly for smaller towns for which there are only a few microfilms. Shtetl CO-OP Coordinators may choose to work entirely alone on the project.
While JRI-Poland welcomes volunteers who prefer to work on their own, we encourage group participation because the networking always makes the job easier and more fun.
Q: How can I determine which towns already has a CO-OP Coordinator ?
A: Check the table called "Summary of All Shtetl CO-OP Initiatives" which lists the towns that already have assigned Shtetl CO-OP Coordinators.
Q: How can I sign up to be a Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator ?
A: After you check the "Summary of All Shtetl CO-OP Initiatives" Table which lists the towns with assigned CO-OP Coordinators, please contact Transliteration Coordinator, Hadassah Lipsius. Tell Hadassah that you would like to volunteer to be Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator for the town you’re interested in.
Q: What help is available for a Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator ?
A: There are many resources to assist Shtetl CO-OP Coordinators. Transliteration Coordinator, Hadassah Lipsius, is available to give personalized help and advice. There is also a section of the JRI-Poland web site dedicated to the Shtetl CO-OP Initiative. In addition, there is a JRI-Poland newsgroup which Shtetl CO-OP Coordinators are encouraged to join. The newsgroup postings provide a question and answer forum for the project and keeps volunteers apprised of announcements and successes associated with the project.
Q: Is there a Step-by-Step process for a CO-OP Coordinator to follow ?
A: Yes! A generalized summary of the process is that the CO-OP Coordinator takes an "inventory" of the indexes available for the town of interest, then photocopies the index pages, brings together volunteers and coordinates the effort to transcribe the indexes to a spreadsheet which is then submitted to Jewish Records Indexing – Poland. Submissions are included in the JRI-Poland database after they have undergone a thorough proofreading process. The Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator also directs the first proofreading step.
The complete step-by-step process for a Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator to follow is available on-line.
Q: How do I find vital records locally ?
A: If records have survived for your Polish town/shtetl, they may be found in the microfilm collection of the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, often referred to as "the Mormons". We often abbreviate the name of the church as "LDS" for the purposes of this project.
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library and are located in many countries of the world. To determine where is the closest FHC to where you live, click here.
There are no FHCs in Israel. However, the Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center (formerly known as "Dorot") at Beth Hatefutsoth, Tel Aviv, has approximately half of the LDS microfilm collection. JRI-Poland has a complete listing of all known Polish-Jewish microfilms on our web site.
Q: How do I take an Inventory of records for my town/shtetl ?
A: The basic process for taking inventory starts with (1) a list of available microfilms for your town which can ordered to and seen at a Mormon Family History Center near you or at the Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center (Tel Aviv), and (2) review the microfilms, noting exactly which years and types of records are included on each roll of film. Creating an inventory also includes assessing whether each index you find is complete, intact or damaged, and whether each column of information appears to be accurate.
Complete directions for taking an Inventory can be found in the "Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator’s Step-by-Step Guide".
Q: How do I build a pool of volunteers ?
A: After you have begun to take inventory and have made photocopies of the index pages for the vital records available for your town, you will have an idea of the number and quality of the entries. That should enable you to estimate how many volunteers will be needed and the types of skills (and skill levels) required to enter the data on to a spreadsheet.
Steps to building a pool of volunteers:
Complete directions for building a volunteer pool can be found in the "Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator’s Step-by-Step Guide".
Q: When should I submit data to the JRI-Poland Database ?
A: Data should only be sent to the JRI-Poland for inclusion in the database when you are confident that the data is as accurate and complete as it possibly can be.
When proofreading has been completed for all entries for one microfilm, the spreadsheet or database file should be sent to the JRI-Poland Transliteration and Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator, Hadassah Lipsius.
Q: How do I submit data to the JRI-Poland Database ?
A: Please contact the JRI-Poland Transliteration Coordinator, Hadassah Lipsius for details on how to submit data to the JRI-Poland Database.