Glossary

Added Nuance Page Design

Upgraded graphic design that devotes extra time and attention to the nuances of layout, font, and design detail. See also Design in this glossary.

Archival Quality Book

A book that is designed to resist “slow fire,” which is when it yellows, becomes brittle, and gradually disintegrates due to the high acid content in its components. Books printed on acid-free paper, with high-quality bindings easily last over 100 years and much longer.

Archival Quality Storage Box

A storage box made of acid-free materials so that the storage box itself does not contribute to the yellowing or disintegration of its contents. Archival quality storage does not reverse damage already done to the contents due to the high acid content of the items themselves.

Binding

All of the components of the book that hold the pages together and bind them to the cover. We offer a polyurethane, ultraviolet-light cured, hardcover binding with the Fir book. The Oak and Cedar books have a Smyth Sewn, hardcover binding.

Bonded Leather

High quality bonded leather has the look, feel, and smell of genuine leather. It consists of shredded leather and leather fibers bonded together with a bonding material, often natural latex or polyurethane, into one continuous sheet, and then embossed with a leather grain pattern. High quality bonded leather wears very well and is much easier for bookbinders to work with than genuine leather.

BYOI or Bring Your Own Information

The term that we use for when we create a book based on the information that you bring to us. Although we do not do any further research to identify your family or the locations in which they lived, we do conduct the full complement of historical-cultural-image research that is always required to create one of our books.

BYOI Location, or Bring Your Own Information Location

The exact information you bring to us for a BYOI Location is critical to the creation of your book, particularly when dealing with locations in Europe and other regions that have been populated for millennia. In these regions, the same town can easily have six or eight different names in multiple languages and alphabets, and have been within up to six different national boundaries within the past century. Furthermore, there can easily be a couple dozen locations with that same name. Because of these complications, when you include a BYOI location in your book plan, we rely solely on the information that you give us when preparing your book. If you need to further clarify the place of your ancestors’ origin, we would be happy to help you with one of our paid research services. See our A la Carte Products page or FAQs for more information.

Confirmed Locations

Confirmed locations are those that can be positively identified both in terms of exact location (or region), and as being connected to your family. In the case of a BYOI location, we trust your information and work directly from what you give us. If we do location research for you, either as part of a diagnostic search or a research block, we typically do not consider a location “confirmed” until we have documented your family’s connection to that location. However, sometimes, neither you nor we can formally document your family’s connection to a location. In that event, you may choose to have us create a book that incorporates a location that you believe your family is from, if you feel sufficiently confident that the location is accurate.

Design

Design, in the context of our books, is the process of combining all of the elements of a page into a cohesive whole. A hallmark of excellent design is that the text, fonts, layout, images, colors, line, texture, value, and all other artistic elements, work together to create a powerful composition that communicates a coherent message. See also Added Nuance Design in this glossary

Diagnostic Search

A Diagnostic Search is an exploratory search that we do prior to doing any additional research for you. It can focus on either genealogical or location information and may verify, support, or extend the information that you bring us. It may also confirm that the desired records are not currently available online (additional records are posted daily), or that they must be searched in person in microfilm format or on location. It may also suggest that the desired records are unavailable for research or they do not exist at all. We call it “diagnostic,” because it identifies what we are or are not likely to find in further research.

Die Stamp

A custom-made metal stamp that is created uniquely for your book. The die presses durable foil (usually gold or silver) into the cover and spine of your book to print your title, other information, and designs of your choice. See also Foil Stamp in this glossary.

Dust Cover

A paper cover that wraps around the hardcover of the book.

Family History

When used broadly, the term Genealogy can refer to anything and everything that has anything to do with tracing family roots. We use the term Family History to refer to the storytelling aspect of Genealogy.

Foil Stamp

The metallic, stamped design created by a die stamp on a leather or bonded leather book cover. It typically is used to print the title and other information and designs onto the book cover and spine. Gold and silver are the most common colors stamped. See also Die Stamp in this glossary.

GEDCOM file

GEDCOM files are one of the most common ways to transfer genealogical information across different platforms that do not interface directly. The GEDCOM format has been the industry standard for many years. The name stands for GEnealogical Data COMmunication. GEDCOM files format your family tree data into a text file which can be easily read and converted by any genealogy software program. GEDCOM files preserve the most essential data, but do not retain the images and links that make many online family trees so appealing. It is wise to make periodic GEDCOM backups of your family trees, for most online trees cannot be recovered if they are deleted. However, do not expect the GEDCOM file to retain all of the richness of your online tree. We look forward to an industry upgrade of the GEDCOM format that will retain the full richness of the information that is commonly attached to online trees.

Genealogy

A very broad term that includes any study of family origins. Most commonly, it is used to describe the work people do to gather information to build their family trees. It includes many subcategories, one of which is family history. Family History tends to emphasize the aspect of genealgoy that helps us come to know the people whose information we search out.

Genealogial Research

When used broadly, Genealogical Research can refer to anything and everything that has anything to do with tracing family roots. However, we use the term Genealogical Research to refer to the process of discovering and documenting the names, dates, and places that extend and confirm your family tree.

Gold Print

Gold colored ink that is printed onto a book cover. It looks very nice, but the results are less striking than a foil stamp made by a die. Compare to Die Stamp and Foil Stamp in this glossary.

Hardcover Binding

Hardcover binding refers to the binding of any book with a stiff cover, as opposed to a paperback, or soft-cover book. The pages of some hardcover books are glued directly to the spine, only. Another method of creating a hardcover book is called Smyth Sewing. In Smyth Sewn books, the pages are first folded into “signatures,” each signature is then sewn together along the fold, and then the sewn signatures are glued to the spine.

Historical-Cultural Research

We conduct historical-cultural research for every book we make. We study the details of the times and places in which your family lived so that we can create a book that exudes the feeling of the context in which they lived their lives. We also conduct Location and Image Research for every book that we make.

Image Research

We conduct extensive image research for every book that we make because images are key to how our pages communicate the history of your family. Images must be from the proper location, of course. In addition to that, whenever possible, we gather images both from the era when your family was in that location, and the present day. This makes it easier to feel the connection between their experience in that location and what we would be likely to experience if we were to go there to visit. Furthermore, every image must meet the technical specifications that allow it to print beautifully on the pages of your book. Image research is a very time-intensive aspect of making your book. We also conduct Historical-Cultural and Location research for every book.

Indexed Records

Indexed records are records from which the information has been extracted from the original (often handwritten) document and transcribed into a computer-searchable format. Once the correct database is accessed, indexed records can be searched rather efficiently, provided the transcription is correct.

Initial Diagnostic Search

A preliminary search for either genealogical or location information, or both, which we conduct prior to either creating an Oak Book or doing further research for you. An Initial Diagnostic Search is not as extensive as a 360 Diagnostic Search. Please see our A la Carte Services page for further information.

Initial Interview

An initial interview is the formal start of every project. Actually, it is just sitting and talking with you about your family, what you expect of us, what we can offer you, and what you want in your book or research package. Getting to know you and your family allows us to create a book that reflects your family’s qualities and values. In addition, the stories you tell us often contain clues that lead us to information that assists us in our research and adds meaningful detail to your book. When possible, we prefer to meet with you in person. When that is not feasible, we can meet via video chat or phone.

JewishGen Town Finder

The JewishGen Town Finder, or Communities Database, can be found at https://www.jewishgen.org/Communities. It is an excellent resource for identifying European towns that do have, or have had, a significant Jewish presence. If you can identify your BYOI Location(s) in this database, it provides a wealth of information that is helpful to both you and us. It is also very useful in helping to differentiate between towns that may have identical or easily confused names.

Laminated Photo Cover

A beautiful, durable, hardbound cover, designed specifically for you by our graphic designer, using an image from your book. The title is on the front cover, along with the image that wraps around the entire book—across the spine and onto the back cover. The cover is laminated for durability and is given either a matte or gloss finish.

Leather-like Polyurethane

A durable, synthetic cover with a leather-like appearance.

Locations/Location Research

We do location research for every book we make. We learn everything we can about the location(s) in which your family lived, both at the time that they lived there and now. Then we explore how the characteristics of that location may have interacted with your family’s lives.
We require the specificity that we do for BYOI and confirmed locations because that is the only way we can be sure that we are making your book about where your family is from, and not somewhere else. We are only half joking when we ask if you can give us the location with the exact latitude and longitude—not only to the minute, but down to the second—and its name in five languages. More than once, we have encountered two towns with the same name, that are only about five miles apart! Yet, each town had a distinct history and looked quite different. Location research is central to creating one of our books. We also conduct Historical-Cultural, and Image research for every book.

Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and longitude are often referred to as GPS coordinates. They are expressed in degrees (˚) and minutes (‘) and sometimes seconds (“) north or south of the equator, and east or west of Greenwich, UK. Most locations are given only in degrees and minutes. For example, Vienna, Austria is at 48˚ 12’ N, 16˚ 22’ E. Because location is so integral to the process of making your book, we rely heavily on the coordinates of a location. Latitude and longitude are given for all towns in JewishGen Town Finder and are readily available on Google Maps and most other electronic maps.

Photo Credits

We respect copyright laws. We list the sources of our photos in the back of your book and we legally purchase high-definition stock photos for your book.

Research

The richness of our work is rooted in the interlocking nature of the Genealogical, Historical-Cultural, Image, and Location Research that goes into every book we create. These multiple perspectives on your family’s history are what makes it come alive.

Research Log

We supply you with a research log and research notes at the conclusion of any genealogical research we perform for you. The Research Log details the information we searched for, the sources we searched, and a very brief summary of what we found or did not find. This way, if you choose to do further research, you need not duplicate efforts. Your research log is always provided free of charge as a service to you. See also Research Notes and Research Plan in this glossary.

Research Notes

We supply you with research notes and a research log at the conclusion of any genealogical research we perform for you. The research notes give a more in-depth account of the information we found than the research log does. In the research notes, we synthesize what we found and make connections between what we found in different sources. The research notes contain more thorough and detailed information than we are able to include in the body of your book. Your research notes are always provided to you free of charge as a service to you. The research note pages in your book are also free of charge. See also Research Log and Research Plan in this glossary.

Research Plan

Prior to beginning either genealogical or location research for you, we create a research plan with you. In this plan we learn what you want us to accomplish, we share with you what we have to offer, and we agree together on a research plan. Once a mutually agreeable research plan is established, we send you a formal price quote, which is valid for that specific research plan. If, at any point in the project, you decide to make any changes or additions to the research plan, we will write up an amended research plan and forward it to you with a new, formal price quote.

Signature

Groups of pages that are bound together, sometimes glued, sometimes sewn, or both. In Smyth Sewn binding, large sheets of paper—two pages wide—are folded in half—between the pages—and then sewn along the fold. Each group of pages that has been folded and sewn is a “signature.” See also Smyth Sewn in this glossary.

Simple Elegance Page Design

Simple Elegance Page Design is our name for the type of graphic design included with the Fir and Oak packages. It features clean and elegant layouts, fonts, and designs that are suited to the unique content of your book. See also Design and Added Nuance Page Design in this glossary.

Smyth Sewn

Smyth (pronounced “Smithe,” with a long i) Sewing is an exceptionally durable way of creating a hardcover book. This method has roots that go back hundreds of years. In Smyth Sewn books, the pages are first folded into “signatures,” then each signature is then sewn together along the fold. Finally, the sewn signatures are glued to the spine. The pages lay virtually flat, like a fine textbook. See also Hardcover Book and Signature in this glossary.

Spread

One spread consists of two facing pages of a book. A single, large image can be spread across the two pages.

Unindexed Records

Unindexed records are records from which the information has not been extracted and made searchable by computer. The records may be in paper, microfilm/microfiche, or computer scanned image format. Many of these records are handwritten. In any event, finding the record of interest requires that the researcher find and read the relevant pages, rather than enter key terms into a searchable computer database. Searching unindexed records requires a great deal more time than searching indexed records. See also Indexed Records in this glossary.

Upholstered Gift Box

Our upholstered gift boxes consist of an archival quality box that is covered and lined with fabric and decorated with fabric ribbon. Acid-free adhesive is used to affix the fabric and ribbons to the box. The top and bottom of the box are each covered and decorated separately so that the lid can be removed and replaced repeatedly without interference to the fabric or ribbons. See also Archival Quality in this glossary.