Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

Raise your hand if you’re going to RootsTech!

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RootsTech 2018 is a little later than usual (February 28 to March 2) and I’ve just today started to focus on it. I deleted last year’s app on my so that I could download this year’s version. Turns out, if I’d read this blog post, titled 7 Ways the Mobile App Will Enhance Your RootsTech Experience I would have realized that all had to do was open the 2017 app, tap Exit to Show List, and select RootsTech 2018.

The app really is robust, allowing you to access information about conference sessions, exhibitors, schedules and more in a variety of ways. I’m going to make sure I budget some time in advance of the conference to go through it and put sessions on the app’s schedule so I’m not feeling stressed while at the conference.

Apparently 15,000 attendees are expected at this year’s conference to learn from their choice of 300 sessions and 200 exhibitors. I can’t believe I can attend a conference of that scope and not feel completely overwhelmed. It really is very well organized. One thing I’ve learned is to schedule down time and give myself permission to skip a conference session if I’m feeling exhausted. (I find that being around so many people can be draining.) If you’re attending for the first time you might want to check out this RootsTech blog post, A Survival Guide to RootsTech.

In years past I’ve had a great time meeting readers of this blog at RootsTech. If you’re going and you’d like to say hi in person, just leave a note in the comments and we’ll figure that out. I hope to meet some of you in person this year!

Join me for the What the Pros Know workshop!

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I was tickled pink to be asked by Family Tree University to host a workshop called What the Pros Know: Genealogy Organization Tips. In this one-hour workshop, which will start on January 29, I interview four prominent genealogy experts. Each interview will focus on a particular aspect of genealogy organization. It’s designed to provide some great practical tips that will help you make your genealogy more organized and streamlined.

The experts are:

  • Denise Levenick, on organizing family archives
  • Joshua Taylor, on time management and streamlining your research
  • Drew Smith, on organizing the research process and
  • Thomas MacEntee on using research logs

Also included in the workshop is the opportunity to ask questions in the workshop’s online forums; I will be on hand to answer them.

Click here to learn more and sign! [registration is closed]

Do you have unread resources on your hard drive?

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Earlier today, I was entering my PayPal transactions into my financial software and I saw that I had purchased a document from Sassy Jane Genealogy last month that I had not read and don’t even remember purchasing. So I looked in my Mac’s Finder to see what I’d downloaded from that website and saw that it was a pdf called Ten Skills Every Genealogist Needs. That sounds fantastic! I can’t wait to read it.

I knew there were doubtless other forgotten documents on my hard drive, so I created a notebook in Evernote called Downloaded items to read/watch NOW and put it in my genealogy stack. Then I went on a hunt for other unread or underutilized resources hanging around on my computer. I bought them with the best of intentions and then moved on to the next shiny object.

I found digital copies of Family Tree Magazine. At least one webinar I haven’t watched. A research guide to Kentucky research. Another Sassy Jane Genealogy guide. And I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface!

In these next couple of low-key weeks, I’m going to try to actually read or watch these valuable resources. And I vow to do a better job of keeping track of what I buy/download. Evernote should be my friend with this.

How about you? Do you have any learning resources you’ve downloaded but forgotten about? Happy hunting!

 

Registration open for the 2018 NGS conference!

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As a member of the National Genealogical Society, I received the conference program in the mail that details the offerings for the 2018 Family History Conference, to be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, May 2 to 5. I attended the 2015 NGS conference, which was held near me in St. Charles, Missouri, but I haven’t traveled to an NGS conference due mostly to scheduling conflicts.

I pored over the session offerings, placing stars by the sessions I might want to attend. There are 10 different choices per breakout session time slot, five time slots per day, except for the first day, when there is a keynote opening session. It is four days chock full of opportunities to learn. I’m a little exhausted just reading the schedule!

I starred at least three offerings per session, which I think is a good indicator that I ought to attend the conference. Registration opened yesterday, and the early bird registration fee for members (postmarked by 20 March 2018) is $215. (Early bird non-members pay $250.) To me that is a huge bargain, but I’m accustomed to organizers’ conferences where I pay over $700 registration fee.

Ten of the 180 lectures will be live streamed, for those not able to go. NGS will announce details of that next year. Some of the lectures will be recorded and the recordings available for purchase.

If you’re interested in more information or registering, visit the NGS conference website. You can see the full conference program here , though, weirdly, I have to admit I found the paper program (here’s a pdf) a little easier to take in.

If you decide to go, let me know and maybe we can meet up!