FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject Arkansas

Overall Objectives

The purpose of the Arkansas Wiki Project is to help readers find and use Arkansas resources and records for genealogy and family history. The project will update and improve:

• Arkansas county pages. Example Jackson County
• Arkansas main page.
• Statewide topic pages. Example Birth, Marriage, and Death Records
• Other Arkansas-related pages

Guiding Principles

• Task Difficulty Tasks are rated for difficulty. Within each phase task table look for 1, 2, or 3, with 1 being the least difficult and 3 being the most difficult.

• Highlight important and relevant items. Long lists of every website or every publication would bury, rather than highlight, what's important.

• Tell readers what to expect when they follow a link or search a suggested record.

• Balance content with these four factors in mind:

a. Genealogical Value. Does this help Wiki users further their research?

b. Clarity. Make sure everyone understands your meaning and the purpose of your words.

c. Brevity. Be succinct as possible without sacrificing purpose or clarity.

d. Documentation. Use footnote(s) to identify the source(s) of the content you are creating.

For each section containing information regarding resources and records, the following should be included:

• Links to online resources: indexes and/or images of records or how to use those records.
• Links to catalogs such as the Google books, WorldCat, Family History Library Catalogamong others.

For more style and guidelines for the Arkansas Wiki Project.

Arkansas Wiki Project Phases - Explanation

• Task Difficulty Tasks are rated for difficulty. Within each phase task table look for 1, 2, or 3, with 1 being the least difficult and 3 being the most difficult.

Repositories Tasks

The first set of tasks includes adding content to each Arkansas county page. Content will be added by completing written tasks which will apply to each county. These tasks will have written instructions giving guidance on how to enter information, format the information, and how to cite the information, when applicable. Some of these tasks entail specifically:

• County headings
  
• Verify parent county and surrounding counties
• County repositories (libraries, archives, museums) - contact information for repositories that hold original and compiled records for individuals that lived in that county including links to the repositories' websites with additional information
• Locate Family History Centers

Vital Records Tasks

The second group of tasks focuses on the following record type:

• Vital Records

Each record type above will include what records are available, time period the record covers and how they can be accessed including links to databases, images and references to books and microfilm and information to repositories.

Probate and Land Records Tasks

The third group of tasks focuses on the following records types:

• Probate Records
• Land Records

Each record type above will include what records are available, time period the record covers and how they can be accessed including links to databases, images and references to books and microfilm and information to repositories.

Newspapers and Church Records Tasks

The fourth group of tasks focuses on the following records types:

• Newspapers
• Church records

Each record type above will include what records are available, time period the record covers and how they can be accessed including links to databases, images and references to books and microfilm and information to repositories.

County Histories Tasks

• County histories - list of county histories available with links to online books and references to libraries

Tax and Cemetery Records Tasks

• Tax records
• Cemeteries
  

Each record type above will include what records are available, time period the record covers and how they can be accessed including links to databases, images and references to books and microfilm and information to repositories.

Schedule

February 2013

Arkansas Wiki Project Tasks

Before beginning any tasks please review the Arkansas Project guidelines.

FIRST TIME WIKI USERS: For instructions on how to edit the wiki use the following:

• Online and Video Instructions 
• Editing on the Wiki written instructions

The following are tasks to be accomplished for the Arkansas Wiki Project. Each task has step-by-step instructions to accomplish it. SOME TASKS ARE NOT YET COMPLETED. WHEN TASKS ARE LINKED (typed in blue) THEY ARE READY FOR PARTICIPANTS TO WORK ON THEM.

• Task Difficulty Tasks are rated for difficulty. Within each phase task table look for 1, 2, or 3, with 1 being the least difficult and 3 being the most difficult.
  

Background and Repositories Tasks

Arkansas county/topic interest list

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Tasks and the list of counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty
Standardize County subject headings.

Vital Records Tasks

Arkansas county/topic interest list

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Tasks and the list of counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty

Probate and Land Records Tasks

Arkansas county/topic interest list 

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty

Newspapers and Church Records Tasks

Arkansas county/topic interest list

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Tasks and the list of counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty

Tax and Cemetery Records Tasks

Mississippi county/topic interest list 

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Tasks and the list of counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty
Add Tax Records Introduction		1
Add Ancestry Tax Records		2
Tax records from FHLC		2
Additional FHLC tax records template.		3
Add Cemetery Records Intro		1
Add Cemetery Online Links		3

Example of Arkansas County Page

Jackson County Arkansas

Guidelines and Style

Style and guidelines for the Arkansas Wiki Project

Participants

Come join us!

Community Meetings

To be determined

Online meetings with focus on Wiki pages for Arkansas.

• Share ideas, suggest improvements
• Get news and progress reports.

Attend from home, at a library, or wherever you have an internet connection and a telephone.

Current Meetings

None are scheduled at this time.