RootsTech 2015 Kicks Off with Great Speakers

Listening and watching the live stream at home is certainly an intellectual feast as well as an emotional and joyous occasion. Who would have thought? My trip two years ago to RootsTech 2013 was expensive, exhausting and wonderful. But I always felt that I was missing something...making wrong choices of which workshop to take and simply not having time to see everything in the Expo Hall.

Here I am with FamilySearch support team in 2013. They knew my friend Cecelia Welch who helps answer patron's questions sent via email to FamilySearch. 

RootsTech 2013 

The Miracles and Magic 

Today's Opening session at RootsTech 2015 reviewed how much the power of working together can bring about miracles and magic. FamilySearch has partnered with organizations who are doing some pretty amazing things. Because of this patrons, especially LDS members, will have access to billions of records with more being added every day. For example, if just FamilySearch were indexing the 80 million Mexican records that have been microfilmed, it would take 40 years to index them all. But with the cooperation of Ancestry these will be finished by the END OF 2015!

Another Organization, who is responsible for the Tuesday night PBS, "Genealogy Road Show" is collaborating to index the US War if 1812 Pension records. These are located in our National Archives. They are being put online so we can actually see bible records, statements by widows and children of veterans and land warrants issued to them in the comfort of our own homes.

Joy of Discovery

There was a wonderful presentation including a video by My Heritage that shows how we can engage more people in the joy of discovering their past. We all have a curiosity of  who we descended from and now using all of the websites:  FamilySearch, My Heritage, Ancestry and Find My Past, a person can have a more complete experience finding their ancestors immediately.

This has all come together in the Church's new Family Discovery Centers. Yesterday, Feb 11, 2015 they cut the ribbon for the first one located in downtown Salt Lake City at the Joseph Smith Memorial building. The next one is to be in Philadelphia next to the history museum; another is hopefully to be located in London. Many smaller ones are also planned, the first one being near the temple in Seattle Washington. 

I loved the concept presented by CEO of FamilySearch, Steve Brimhall. In order to engage grandkids the use of photos, digital costumes and My Heritage's immediate gratification search software, selfies are turning this center into a MUSEUM OF ME with exhibits about parents, grandparents their stories, photos and even voice recordings. 

Museum of Me hits Home with this Former 

Museum Director.

The Downey Museum of Art was small but reached many people located in a city park in Sourthern California

Here I am advertising a workshop for the Downey Museum of Art where I was director from 1969 until 1976

Blogs are also a bit of this same type of experience.

 They are exhibits in the Museum of Me. 

This is a photo taken of me 1973 reflected what the photographer thought a museum director should look like. 

This was before Computers, before cell phones, before i or e anything. Now is the time to step into the present. I just love this quote from Arthur Clarke:

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Now I am following the wonderful speakers in real time, streaming online sitting in my recliner with my laptop reflecting on all of the wondrous advances in technology in only the past two years . It would have seemed like magic to me in 1973. But even then I was interested in art and technology, planning several exhibits on that topic, with one even touring the US under the auspices of the Smithsonian. Even Small Museum director's can dream BIG. I've kept up with technology ever since, marrying a former IBMer and raising a "techie" child.

Our Daughter Brianna in 1987 with a Texas Instruments computer

Now is the time to step up my skills. RootsTech 2015 is just the place to get motivation, inspiration and experience the Magic of Discovery.