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.

Working as Volunteer in my Family History Center

FamilySearch Center or Family History Center?

     Today I work from 9 am to 1 pm at the Tucson North & West Stake's Family History Center located on the west side of Tucson, 3530 W. Magee, Tucson. I travel from my home in Picture Rocks East out Cortaro Farms Rd. to Thornydale and go south or right to the first light which is Magee.

West Stake Family History 

Center open hours are:

Tues 9AM-5PM

Thu 4PM-8PM

Wed 9AM-5{M

Sat 9AM-1PM

     The Red Cross is holding a blood drive this morning at our West Stake Center on the west side of the building,  and my friends, Jim and Linda Knight stopped by to see their friends, David and LaRein Marx, who have been the Directors for the past two and a half years. Their mission came to an end on January 31, 2013.
     The exterior door to the Family History Center is located on the East side of the building.



East side entrance West Stake Center



Interior Door where
Jim and Linda Knight entered

 

Upon entering everyone must sign in, even the workers.

     You will enter into the main area that they call the classroom. In here there is a desk, file cabinets, two large tables, chalkboard and a wall of reference books. However, the real work area is where the computers are located to the left of the classroom area. Below David Marx is turning on all of the computers for the patrons to use.

     Two large doors open into the computer area, where seven computer stations and a place to scan, make copies of microfilm pages, as well as paper copies are found. It is overall an open and inviting center for research. The offer free access to Ancestry.com and ArkivDigital, Ancestral Quest, as well as other genealogy programs such as Legtacy 7.5, PAF 5, and RootsMagic 4. 
Other premium websites available to patrons for free are: 
19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archive
Access Newspaper Archive
Alexander Street Press - The American Civil War
Find My Past
Fold3
The Genealogist
Godfrey Memorial Library
Heritage Quest Online
Historic Map Works Library Edition
Paper Trail
World Vital Records

    All of the patrons are urged to bring their own stick drives in case they find documents they would like to take home with them. This morning one patron found a newspaper article but to just print it would make the size of the print so small as to not be readable. So by saving it as a PDF file to her stick drive, she transferred it to her laptop and when she goes home, can print the part of it that is pertinent in a much larger format.

     There is also a room full of microfilm and microfiche readers that can be darkened so that it is easier to read the films that people order.
     Films are now ordered online at familysearch.org. You must be signed in and create a FamilySearch account to order films.  When you find a film number in the catalogue via Place name or location and time period, it will then give you the film number, and when you click on this number it will take you via  link to the place to order your film.
Films are shipped to the Family History Center and are available  for 60 days for $7.50. Most people can find everything you can extract within that 60 days. However, for another $7.50 you can extend an order for another 60 days. You can extend as many times as you like, paying the extension fee. But if you know up front that you will want the film indefinitely, then you can order it for $18.75.
     Microfiche are $4.75 each. Online methods of payment include Visa, Master Card, Pre-paid cards, and Pay Pal. There is an online interactive tutorial under Ordering Help at the FamilySearch website.
     My friend Ann Bodmer just came in after donating blood, what fun!!! It's her first time visiting the FamilySearch Center .... or is it the Family History Center?
On the FamilySearch.org/locations website they say they are FamilySearch Centers, but when individually listed they are still Family History Centers. This is a transition period of what advertising people call re-signing or introducing the public to a new image or name. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City now has FamilySearch in very large letters on it's building entranceway. You really have to look for the old sign outdoors that says Family History Library.
It is a time for change both for me and for Family History. Hope you will join the fun new changes that I'll be talking about over the next two months.