The California Genealogical Society is taking reservations for the popular Book Repair Workshop to be held on Saturday morning, November 7, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Taught by Book Repair Committee Chairman, Bill O'Neil, the workshop is limited to ten enrollees.
Workshop participants learn book repair techniques by creating a book for themselves. Pages are provided and the pupils create the binding. The finished product will be a copy of a "how to" pamphlet written by the late Dick Thrift, founder of the CGS Book Repair Committee. Everyone goes home with a self-made instruction book and souvenir of the day.
PLEASE NOTE:
• Workshop is limited to ten.
• $25 charge for materials.
• Reservation form and pre-payment of fee required.
Download the registration flier and mail with a check for $25 to CGS. Questions? Call CGS at 510-663-1358 or E-mail CGSLevents@gmail.com
Photograph by Kathryn M. Doyle, Oakland, California, 10/25/2008.
Recent Posts
01 October 2009
Book Repair Workshop Returns November 7, 2009
30 September 2009
Wordless Wednesday
Fall Beginning Genealogy Series
Margery Bell
25 September 2009
Two Talks at Salem Lutheran Home in October
On Tuesday, October 20, 2009, at 3:00 p.m., Jane will present “Genealogy is not just for Genealogists” – Find out what you can do to ensure that your family treasures and stories remain intact and available for your descendants to discover.
Jane will follow up the following week on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. with “Getting Started: Your Genealogy Search” – Learn the first steps of genealogical research, including surveying family documents, organizing files, and discovering basic tools such as forms and computer programs.
Salem Lutheran Home is part of the Elder Care Alliance family of assisted living seniors communities, dedicated to providing care services to meet the needs of older adults. They are a non-profit, faith-based organization open to all faiths and denominations. They sponsor fun and informative events which are open to the public. The California Genealogical Society appreciates the opportunity to participate in the Salem programs.
If your group is interested in hearing "Genealogy is Not Just for Genealogists" or another talk related to genealogy, please contact the society at 510-663-1358.
23 September 2009
Wordless Wednesday
Book Repair Committee
Dick Rees
Photograph by Judy Bodycote, 4/15/2009, Oakland, California
21 September 2009
You Don't Know What You Don't Know
Tim Cox has an important message that he has agreed to share with our blog readers:
Over the twenty-five years or so of my genealogy experience, I’ve joined a few societies and organizations that interested me but I never got involved with them. I was more interested in being on their mailing lists, and being just a member at large who paid dues and received the monthly or quarterly newsletter. This arrangement suited me just fine because the only two events I ever attended in the 1980s were presentations hosted by the local society I belonged to. I felt really out of place at both events because I was in my twenties and everyone else was much older and way more experienced in genealogy and in life! So I resolved to do it on my own. It would take years for me to realize you don’t know what you don’t know.
I was on top of everything in my research. I had the guides that taught me how to set up correspondence and research logs; how to interview my living relatives and where to go to find census records, wills, and all the records I would need to find my ancestors. I was all set! I purchased a brief case to carry my folders, notepads, magnifying glass (for those hard to read records Bill Dollarhide’s book said I’d come across), pencils, tape recorder for interviews, and a few other things. I was ready for anything and everything!
Then came the computer age: America-On-Line, GEnie, Prodigy and others that are the grandparents of the sites we have today. I quickly picked up on how to communicate on mailing lists and met a lot of faceless online friends. My mother was shopping one day and purchased a family tree program for me. I was between jobs at the time and living at home, so this was a mistake on her part. It took me two weeks to enter in all of the information I had on paper. That was two weeks of not looking for a job! I eventually found one but it didn’t stop me from sitting up all hours of the night chatting and emailing about my ancestors.
Fast forward to 2007.
Over the years I continued researching my ancestors and I still belong to some of the same (and even joined a few new) societies and organizations. I'd also learned tips and tricks from experts in genealogy magazines and websites. I was still doing pretty well doing research on my own – just me, the internet and a couple of subscriptions. I'd read about attending local and national conferences and I guess I secretly wanted to attend one just to see what they were about and perhaps buy a few things for my library. But then I would think – who really needs to go to those things? You don’t know what you don’t know! It was while learning how to use an iPod Nano that I discovered podcasts and The Genealogy Guys. George and Drew had me hooked after just one session so I ended up downloading all of the previous episodes and listening to them all. Because of them I joined the California Genealogical Society and got involved. So involved that I want to do so much more than I really have time for.
And I have some regrets about the decisions I made in my twenties. Now I know I lost a golden opportunity to learn from others at the events I attended and at the societies I belonged to. They knew the history of the region and the state. Because I didn’t want to feel out of place I put myself at a disadvantage.
I’m willing to wager that even today there are people still thinking the same thing. They think that everything is on the internet and they don’t need to join a society or organization. You and I know that this is not true. But what can we do about it? I have a few suggestions.
1. Reach out to the youth and attempt to pull them into the joy of family history.
2. Use the networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace to promote your events.
3. Establish a youth membership level.
You don’t know what you don’t know!– Tim Cox
