“Strategic Searching” series in June

You may know about FamilySearch, NARA, and other online repositories, but do you know how to find your way once you're on the website? A new series of classes in June will give you an in-depth look at four different research websites, each one invaluable to genealogists. The first class is held Wednesday, June 2, after which classes are held on Tuesdays as follows: 

 

Wed, June 2 – FindMyPast

Jen Baldwin of FindMyPast discusses best practices, different ways to search, and utilizing the site to your greatest advantage.

 

Tue, June 8 – Fold3

Anne Gillespie Mitchell of Ancestry.com offers tips on how to effectively search for the veterans in your tree using Fold3.com. She will also cover some of the lesser-known collections, including photos and FBI files.

Tue, June 15 – National Archives

Claire Kluskens of the National Archives and Records Administration offers a guide to navigating this vast collection of U.S. documents with holdings dating back to the American Revolution.

 

Tue, June 22 – FamilySearch

Oakland FamilySearch Library director Ralph Severson talks about the growth of digitized images, a lesser known feature and hidden treasure of this amazing and popular genealogy resource.

 

You can register for any or all of the classes through EventBrite.

Copyright © 2021 by California Genealogical Society

FindMyPast is now at The California Genealogical Society

by Maureen Hanlon 

In November we asked our eNews subscribers to help us decide on whether or not the California Genealogical Society (CGS) should continue having a subscription to the genealogy research website, FindMyPast (FMP). A trial subscription at the library ended on November 16. 

Of all the respondents, 80% were in favor of purchasing the subscription. So after hearing from our subscribers, even though the response rate was relatively small, it was up to the board to make a decision---and make a decision they did!  The Board voted to buy a subscription after considering the following:  survey results, library use, and also the value of having access to PERSI. 

What's PERSI?  FindMyPast's website states, "The PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) enables you to easily locate key information about people and places. It contains over 2.5 million entries from thousands of historical, genealogical and ethnic publications, making it an invaluable, comprehensive family history resource.

PERSI provides a simple way to access articles, photos, and other material you might not find using traditional search methods. This can help to build the historical context around your personal research, and the world your ancestors lived in."

We're excited that we're able to offer FindMyPast as another valuable, library-only resource for those visitors and members who come in for genealogy research. We also realize that many of you may not be that familiar with FMP, so we're making plans for a workshop and/or printed instructions on getting the most out of FMP when you visit the library.

Have you been to the library lately?  Now you've got one more reason to visit. See you soon!

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society