Santa Rosa Family History Fair: this Saturday 17 January 2015

Our friends at the Sonoma County Genealogical Society are having an all day Family History Fair this weekend entitled:

Linking Generations: Who Are You Linked To?

There's no charge for the event, but you do need to register, and bring a bag lunch. Topics include getting the most out of online records, DNA, making family videos and more.  

Lots of interesting classes and skills to impart to make your family history more accessible and attractive, so you may want to head to Santa Rosa and check it out! 

Copyright © 2015 by Ellen Fernandez-Sacco, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Burbank to Oakland: South Comes North For a Visit

A special meeting occurred on Thursday, September 23, 2010, when Jay Holladay and Vieve Metcalfe of the Southern California Genealogical Society paid a visit to the CGS Library. The couple were in the Bay Area for a school reunion and decided to mix in a little gen society business. It was an opportunity to meet with their NorCal counterparts, tour our library and take a look at our operation.

While Jay met with Technology Director Kathy Watson to discuss the website and facility equipment, Vieve met with CGS Librarian Laura Spurrier. Laura provided a tour of Surpass, our catalog software which our neighbors to the south are considering to replace their Access file.

Vieve Metcalfe, Laura Spurrier, Kathy Watson and Jay Holladay

Jay and Vieve are both active members of the Southern California Genealogical Society. Jay currently leads their Information Technology Team and the RootsMagic User Group. He has been a member of the SCGS board of directors since 2008 and he also serves on the Long-Range Planning Committee. Vieve presently serves as librarian, member of the Long Range Planning and Library Operations Committees, and as cataloguer for the CD collection. In the past, she has served as the Jamboree chair.

All genealogy societies face similar challenges but collaborative sessions like this are few and far between. The visit was so successful that it is likely to be repeated again as both societies plan to continue to share their experiences. Thanks, Jay and Vieve, for stopping by!


Photograph courtesy of Kathy Watson, 9/23/2010, Oakland, California.


Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library

Digital vs. Print - Where do you stand?

Last week many genealogy blogs published the news release sent by Leland Meitzler of Everton Publishers announcing the new Online Edition of Everton’s Genealogical Helper. The electronic publication, which debuts on July 1, 2008 with the July/August issue, will be identical to the paper edition but with added hyperlinks to the Web site addresses published within its pages.

Diane Haddad, managing editor of Family Tree Magazine and its primary blogger at Genealogy Insider, went a step further and asked Would You Read an Online Magazine? referencing Dick Eastman's recent post Printed Newsletters and Magazines are Disappearing. Diane summed up the debate in one sentence:

The entire publishing industry is caught up in the "digital vs. print" discussion, with some swearing it's just a matter of time before all print publications go away, and others insisting people always will want to curl up with a paper magazine or book.

Genealogical societies are also grappling with the new paradigm. The News & Notes, the Southern California Genealogical Society quarterly, announced that the May/June/July issue will be the final print version delivered to members' mailboxes. Editor Alice Fairhurst noted that it is "transitioning to virtual... due to the rising cost of postage, and the fact that most people have internet access.

The California Genealogical Society and Library publishes news and information in three formats: a print newsletter (the CGS News), an electronic newsletter (the CGS e-News) and this blog. In response to the suggestion that this might be information overkill, CGS News Editor and former school administrator, Jane Hufft, quotes the old rule in teaching - "eight repetitions for the average learner."

Each of the society's periodicals have unique attributes that are not duplicated in the other two.

The CGS News, a benefit of membership published bimonthly and mailed to members' homes, features lists of the society's newest members and their research surnames and places; lists of new books and media in the library and original content, such as Nancy Peterson's two-part report "Post-1906 Immigration and Naturalization Records."

The CGS e-News, started last year by President Jane Lindsey with the technical assistance of Kathy Watson, is a monthly electronic newsletter that is e-mailed to all society members who have e-mail addresses (currently 93% of members) and to non-member subscribers. The e-News publishes CGS Ancestors, a place where members can submit interesting old family photographs with a bit of history; Suggested Links from the Blogsphere and Did You Miss These Posts from the CGS Blog?

The California Genealogical Society and Library Blog recently celebrated its six-month "blogiversary" and continues to experiment with new ways to promote society events and feature the work of its volunteers.

There is one significant difference between the CGS print periodical and the electronic ones - the way that readership is measured. Traditional media report the number of subscribers or the number of issues printed. We know how many copies of the CGS News are printed and mailed out to members and subscribing societies but we don't really know how many of these issues are actually read.

With electronic media we have a few more tools in the toolbox. Constant Contact, the e-mail, marketing and survey software used to produce the CGS e-News, provides a report to users that tells how many of the e-mails are actually opened. The results, although high by industry standards, are disappointing: only about 53% of members actually open their CGS e-News.

Blog statistics, such as the number of visits to a blog, or the number of page views, are readily available from sites like Sitemeter or ClustrMaps.

At least for the now, CGS members have three unique periodicals they can read to obtain society news. Which do you prefer?

CGS is Going to the Jamboree!

Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree
Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel
and Convention Center
Burbank, California
June 27-28-29, 2008

CGS President Jane Lindsey is attending this year's 39th Annual SCGS Jamboree with a small contingent from the Bay Area. The society has reserved a table in the Exhibit Hall next to the California State Genealogical Alliance.

This year's theme is "Solve Your Family History Puzzle." CGS member, past-president of the Southern California Genealogical Society and Co-Chair of this year's Jamboree, Paula Hinkel, is the author of the Jamboree blog which features everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know about the schedule, events and speakers.

CGS will host a Membership Coffee at the Jamboree on Friday morning, June 27, from 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. in the Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Members who live in the Los Angeles area are invited to join CGS President Jane Lindsey for an update on society events. Guests are welcome. CGS members, please let us know if you will be attending.