.pdf to .jpg

I often find myself with a .pdf document that I want to share on one of my blogs. I sometimes copy and paste parts of the text into the blog and often I just don't bother.

This morning I realised how silly that was. I dug into the depths of my memory and recalled, Zamzar, the free online file conversion tool that I used when I was a working girl.

It was such a simple matter to go to the Zamzar site,  upload my .pdf file and ask it to convert it to a .jpg. 
After inputting my email address I had to wait less than 2 minutes for the converted files to be sent to my email account.

Simple 4 step process to convert a file

One only has a day to download the converted files from the link given by Zamzar. If you are not a cheapskate like me you can have a paid Zamzar account with heaps more features.

Take a look at www.zamzar.com

Now We are Six

"Now We Are Six"

When I was one,
I had just begun.
When I was two,
I was nearly new.
When I was three,
I was hardly me.
When I was four,
I was not much more.
When I was five,
I was just alive.
But now I am six,
I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six
now and forever.

 Author: A.A. Milne

Although I am definitely not "as clever as clever" I immediately thought of this poem from my childhood when I received blogiversary wishes from my Genimates on Facebook and at Geneabloggers this morning.

As I am much older than this blog I certainly realise that I have so much more to learn  I thank you, my readers and friends in cyberspace for following and reading my posts. Your comments on my blogs and the posts you share through your blogs are leading me on the path towards cleverness.

State Library Workshop

On Monday I attended a workshop, Tracing Irish Ancestry, at the State Library of NSW, an

Fellow attendee, Sharon, with her booklet

institution that I love.

The blurb for the talk that was supported by the Consulate General of Ireland in Sydney stated:

Do you have Irish Ancestry? Join us for an introduction to resources for tracing your Irish roots including eresources, books and original materials. We will have some of this material on display. At the end of workshop we will take you on a tour of the family history area and the Mitchell Library.

I was prepared for a beginner level presentation and attended because I believe that one will always learn something new and be reminded of resources that one hasn't consulted in a while. 

The first hour of the talk was presented by a librarian who read from a script and didn't appear to know her topic. However, Nina, the librarian from the Mitchell Library, who presented the second half of the talk really knew her stuff. She spoke off the cuff and used her slides to illustrate her talk, it was evident that she loved her work. I was going to bail out after the first half of the workshop but am so pleased that I stayed. 

After the talk we were given an opportunity to look at a selection of the treasures available to researchers in the Mitchell Library. We were then taken on a tour to the Mitchell Library where Nina showed us some of the card catalogues there that have not yet been digitised and which contain a wealth of references to ordinary early Australians. A ride in an elevator took us down to one of the five underground levels where resources are housed in climate controlled comfort before we were brought back up to the Family History area of the library for an overview of the resource there. I noted that some changes had been made since my last visit earlier this year.

Thanks to the Irish Consul for supporting this event and for the useful booklet "Tracing your ancestors in Ireland" that was distributed to attendees. Thanks also to The State Library for making this event possible.

Nina, a Mitchell librarian

Treasures from the Mitchell

A convict's Ticket of Leave from the Mitchell collection

A Hangout is Announced

Spurred on by the encouragement of my Genimates I have, after experimenting with one Hangout on Air, decided to host them on a regular basis.

Thanks to DearMyrtle and Russ Worthington for their advice and assistance with Hangout administration. I am grateful also to these people have discussed the first Hangout on their blogs:

Pauleen Cass  http://cassmob.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/monday-mentions-and-hangouts-abound/
Julie Goucher  http://anglersrest.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/hanging-our-down-under.html
Shauna Hicks  http://diaryofanaustraliangenealogist.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/genealogy-notes-22-oct-3-nov-2013.html
Dave Robison  http://oldbonessearch.com/2013/10/30/google-hangout-with-geniaus/
Sharon Muffett  http://missmuffett.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/the-elusive-john-green.html
Tanya St Clair Honey https://tstclairhoney.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/hanging-out-with-geniaus/
Anne Young  http://ballaratfh.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/hanging-out-with-geniaus-stage-fright.html

And so on with the show

You are invited to join GeniAUS and friends on Thursday November 14 for a discussion on books for genealogists who are researching from or about downunder. 

Sydney (Australia) 9:00pm 
New York (USA) 5:00am 
UTC 10:00am 

Participants in the Live hangout are asked to share details of a favourite old or new genealogy book that would be of use to others researching their ancestors. It might be an idea to have a second book as a backup just in case someone else selects the same title.  We will rotate members of the live panel to give as many people as possible a chance to share details of their books. 

Please feel free to invite other genealogists to this event.  Please post comments during and after the HoA in the GeniAUS Community on Google+ 
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/114428344653505318385 


You will need to be a member of the Community to make comments during the live Hangout so please  join up now 

Why did I choose this topic?

On the Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise earlier in the year I moderated an impromptu session in which I asked cruisers to bring along and share details of a favourite book. In my opinion this was a super and successful activity that gave many cruisers an opportunity to share something special. 

It was evident from the first hangout that folk are really interested in resources so I chose that topic for our next Hangout on Air.