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Reminder: I’m presenting The Imperfect Genealogist on April 3

April 2, 2021 By Janine Adams 2 Comments

I posted about this a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to remind you that tomorrow (Saturday, April 3) at 1:30 Eastern time, I’ll be presenting a 45-minute talk (followed by 15 minutes of Q&A) for the Greene County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. It’s the same talk, The Imperfect Genealogist, that I presented at last year’s RootsTech conference.

Saturday’s talk is free and open to the public. You don’t even have to register. Just click on this Zoom link at the appointed time and join us. The Zoom room will open at 1:00, there will be a short business meeting at 1:30 and my presentation will start around 1:50. (Again, all these times are Eastern Daylight Time.)

I’ll be talking about ways perfectionism can get in the way of enjoyable and productive genealogy research, along with some areas in genealogy where, in my opinion, good enough isn’t good enough. I’ll also be discussing some strategies for letting go of perfectionism. This is something my co-host, Shannon Wilkinson, and I discuss a lot on our podcast, Getting to Good Enough.

Speaking of my co-host, there’s also still time to sign up for Declutter Happy Hour, a four week class that Shannon and I are teaching on Zoom to help you let go of physical and emotional clutter in a fun and supportive atmosphere. It’s being held each Wednesday in April from 7 to 8:30 pm Eastern. Click here for more information and to buy a ticket.

Quick Tip #17: Schedule time for genealogy education

March 26, 2021 By Janine Adams 11 Comments

Here’s the next in my occasional series of bite-size Quick Tips. Click on the Quick Tips tag for my other Quick Tips. Because I tend to write longer posts, I wanted to provide a quick-to-read (and quick-to-write) post every couple of weeks on a small topic that pops into my head. This is one that will help me learn more without feeling behind or overwhelmed.

Schedule time for genealogy education

There are so many great learning opportunities in genealogy but it can be easy to miss out unless you become intentional about it. I suggest setting a regular time in an interval that works for you (say, every Saturday morning or the first Monday evening of the month) to focus on learning and expanding your genealogy skills.

This post is prompted by the fact that I have yet to watch any of the free RootsTech presentations that are available to watch on demand for the next year. I know that if I don’t set aside time to do it, the year will be over and I will have missed out. There are also free webinars offered monthly by the Southern California Genealogy Society and the Florida State Genealogy Society, though most of those are available live only (unless you’re a member). Those deserve a place on my schedule. (As do the piles of genealogy journals that go unread.)

If you schedule time for genealogy education, you’re much more likely to do it. Your future self will thank you!

Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash

Another chance to hear The Imperfect Genealogist on Zoom

March 16, 2021 By Janine Adams 8 Comments

I was excited to be invited to present the talk I gave at RootsTech 2020, The Imperfect Genealogist, to the Greene County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. The presentation will held on Zoom at 1:30 pm eastern time on Saturday, April 3. You can learn more about Greene County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society on their website.

The meeting is open to anyone and I was encouraged to let my blog readers know about it, in case you’re interested in attending. It’s free and you don’t even have to register. Just click on this Zoom link at 1:30 eastern on April 3 and join us!

I’ll be talking about ways perfectionism can get in the way of enjoyable and productive genealogy research, along with some areas in genealogy where, in my opinion, good enough isn’t good enough. I’ll also be discussing some strategies for letting go of perfectionism. This is something my co-host and I discuss a lot on our podcast, Getting to Good Enough.

Feel free to let me know in the comments if you plan to attend!

Quick Tip #16: Don’t forget about your local library

March 9, 2021 By Janine Adams 4 Comments

Don’t forget about your local library!

Here in St. Louis, our city and county library systems have some remarkable resources for genealogists. Both have genealogy rooms that I’ve enjoyed researching in. And they have expert staff members who provide great assistance. All of it’s free of charge.

Of course, the pandemic has made using the local library difficult. Here, branches have been closed off and on. The St. Louis County library genealogy room has been closed since the pandemic began. I traditionally rely on it to give me access to those documents from Family Search that are available only if you’re using the wifi system of an affiliate library. The county library has generously extended its wifi reach to its parking lot. Last week, I parked there and was able to download some documents from Family Search. Maybe that’s something you can do at your library too.

Even if your local library branch is closed, I urge you to check to see whether they are offering access to online databases or perhaps are allowing you to consult remotely with librarians. They may have expanded online resources because of the pandemic. Here in St. Louis, for example, the library edition of Ancestry.com is now available to county library card holders at home (while the genealogy room is closed). If you don’t have a library card, now’s a good time to get one!