Attending a Family History Conference

Congratulations to The Botany Bay Family History Society for embracing Social Media as they prepare to host the 28th Annual Conference of the NSW & ACT Association of Family History Societies in September 2012.  The Conference has a Facebook page that provides regular updates on conference planning and activities.

On the homepage of the conference website is a welcome the video from the conference convenor, Allan Murrin.  The organisers have also harnessed YouTube where they have posted their promotional video "Attending a Family History Conference" pasted below. Coincidentally the first interviewee, Angela Lind, is a member of two of the societies to which I belong : The Society of Australian Genealogists and The Ku-ring-Gai Historical Society. Angela and others in the video were in attendance at the 2011 conference in Inverell.

Will I see you in Gymea in September next year?

Full house at Hornsby

Tonight's was the best of the family history talks I have attended at Hornsby Library..

On phoning up to book a place this morning I was told that I was taking the last of the 60 places available. Arriving early I nabbed a front row seat and was soon joined by a lady who had sat near me at a previous session. There is a large group of regulars who attend the family history sessions organised by Neil Chippendale, the Local Studies Coordinator at Hornsby Library. At $5 including a cuppa or cordial and bikkies these represent excellent value. I wish Hornsby Library would host more of these events.

Although I had met Allan Murrin at Rootstech I had not heard him give a presentation. Allan was a relaxed, competent and down-to-earth speaker who engaged his audience with a natural warmth and touches of humour. His deep knowledge of his topic Familysearch was evident. Allan's use of Powerpoint was very good and his slides were attractive and easy to read.

Allan encouraged the audience to  "Move Forward" in their genealogy and specifically to embrace the new Familysearch. He recognised that change can be difficult but that by using resoources such as Familysearch we can find information quickly and have more time to analyse what we find.

Allan demonstrated with a couple of examples how to use both the ordinary and advanced search modes on Familysearch. He also pointed out that there is a huge number of resources available through the FamilySearch Library Catalog that are not yet indexed on Familysearch and that genealogists should look there for resources. He showed that there is a good number of Australian resources available in the catalog.

He also reminded us of the collection of Learning Resources  available from the site. This includes a wiki, online courses and a getting started guide. I only learnt a couple of new things but enjoyed the talk immensely as it helped me consolidate my knowledge and forced me  reflect on Familysearch and the wealth of resources they make available.

I take my hat off to Allan who demonstrated his "green" and "21st century genealogy" commitment by not handing out presentation notes but for giving the audience a URL from which they can download notes to their computer.

Congratulations to Allan and Neil for staging this event.

Genealogy Event in Hornsby tomorrow evening

On the last evening of the recent Rootstech Conference I found and met the other Australian who was in attendance. I was pleased to catch up and chat with Allan Murrin from the Botany Bay Family History Society.

I just received a newlstter from my local library indicating that Allan will be travelling north to Hornsby to present a talk tomorrow evening. I hope to be able to attend and hear what he has to say.

Following are the details from the library newslatter:

About FamilySearch, presented by Allan Murrin

When: Wednesday 13 April 2011, 6:30pm
Where: Hornsby Library Meeting Room, 28-44 George Street, Hornsby
Cost: $5 (light refreshments included)
If you have only used the IGI in FamilySearch you have missed the many resources that are available. With a recent makeover of this free website there is much more to explore. By attending this session it is anticipated that you will have a better understanding of the growing collection of historical records along with the library catalogue. Allan Murrin will be explaining how the new website will aid the beginner and experienced family historian.
Bookings are essential. To make a booking please phone 9847 6614. For further information please phone Hornsby Local Studies on 9847 6807.