My Goal for 2008

Traditionally, January 1st is a day for New Year's Resolutions but many years ago I began instead to create a yearly set of Goals. Perhaps this is just semantics but while I am good at deciding or resolving to do something, it's usually the execution that is the problem. This "goal setting" exercise has evolved into a set of lists that I create for the various parts of my life. I've learned to set fewer goals but to include specific "actions" - a technique learned from David Allen's Getting Things Done, The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. The "next action" is one of the hallmarks of Allen's GTD philosophy, and he defines it as: "the next physical, visible activity that needs to be engaged in, in order to move the current reality toward completion."

I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to get one of the local media outlets to do a piece on the California Genealogical Society and Library and so I am hereby making this my 2008 CGS goal. And in keeping with the GTD action step requirement, I've created a "Top Ten" pitch list to email to Bay Area newspapers and magazines. I will be modifying it to send to some of the local television and radio talk shows, as well. I'll keep you posted as I come up with new strategies for reaching my goal and I welcome any suggestions you may have (or the phone number of your brother-in-law who works for KTVU).

Top 10 Reasons to Feature the California Genealogical Society and Library in 2008:

1. The California Genealogical Society (CGS) was the first genealogy society in the state, founded February 12, 1898, in San Francisco. CGS has been located in Oakland since 1998.

2. The California Genealogical Society and Library blog debuted November 25, 2007.

3. A full 73 percent of Americans are are intrigued by their family roots according to a 2005 poll by Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI).

4. A Cal State Fullerton study showed that interest in genealogy spans a wide range of ages with the strongest interest being in middle age, most starting "at an average age of 40."

5. California Genealogical Society Research Director, Nancy Peterson, literally wrote the book on San Francisco research. Raking the Ashes: Genealogical Strategies for Pre-1906 San Francisco Research was published by CGS in June 2006.

6. In March 2007, CGS moved to its newest location in the historic Breuner Building in Oakland's Uptown District.

7. The California Genealogical Society maintains a library of over 30,000 genealogy reference materials and has released a beta version of its online catalog.

8. Long-time CGS volunteer Dorothy Fowler penned A Most Dreadful Earthquake, A First-Hand Account of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, with Glimpses into the Lives of the Phillips-Jones Letter Writers. The book was published in April 2006 by CGS to coincide with the centennial of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

9. The California Genealogical Society and Library (now 900 members strong) hosts monthly membership meetings and has a First Saturday Free policy of allowing non-members free access on the first Saturday of every month.

10. The Oakland Convention & Visitors Bureau list of 100 Things to Do includes tip #80: "Trace your family history at the California Genealogical Society."

CGS Annual Membership Meeting - 1/12/2008

The Annual Membership Meeting of the California Genealogical Society will be held on Saturday, January 12, 2008, at 1:30 p.m., at the CGS Library (2201 Broadway at 22nd, Suite LL2, Oakland, CA). Please join CGS President, Jane Lindsey, for a quick review of the society's accomplishments in 2007 and a look forward to what's in store for 2008, our 110th year of helping people find their roots.

This important session will include Colleen Huntley's power point presentation on the history of the society, an update on our Web site and blog, brief committee reports, approval of the society budget and election of new board members. There will be time for questions and answers.

The annual meeting is always well attended so arrive early to get a front seat, see old friends and meet some new ones. Light refreshments will be available before the meeting at 12:30 p.m.

Some free advice from Maureen

I'm just back from a holiday vacation and while catching up with the various genealogy blogs, I found some great advice in a recent post to 24-7 Family History Circle. Maureen A. Taylor, the Photo Detective, wrote Saving Your Family Treasures: Four Destructive Habits.

Maureen, who will be our special guest lecturer at the California Genealogical Society and Library 110th Celebration, on February 9, 2008, tells how mishandling, poor storage, laminating and mislabeling practices can harm our family photographs.

Maureen has also submitted a sneak preview of her detective skills to Roots Television. In her 4 1/2 minute slide show Solved by the Photo Detective!, Taylor guides us through three examples as she describes in her own voice the clues she used to analyze photos of a building facade, an immigrant woman and her own grandmother.

CGS Celebrates 110 years with The Photo Detective

The California Genealogical Society and Library will celebrate 110 years of helping people find their roots at a day-long program with Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective at the Concord Hilton on Saturday, February 9, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Maureen will present four seminars exploring ways to identify and preserve photographs to enhance our family history:

Tales from The Photo Detective
Identifying and Dating Family Photos
Preserving Family Photographs
Reading Immigrant Clues in Photos

$45.00 includes all seminars, lunch and a silent auction. Private photo consultations with Maureen are available. Contact CGS in advance to arrange.

Maureen Taylor is a nationally recognized photo identification and family history expert. She is the author of a number of research articles and books, including Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs and Preserving Your Family Photographs: How to Organize, Present, and Restore Your Precious Family Images. Maureen was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal.

For further information about this event, visit the CGS Web site or download the event flyer and reservation form.

For additional information about Maureen visit her website or Photo Detective blog.

CGS Membership Coffee

Another in a series of CGS membership coffees will be held Thursday, January 24, 2008, from 2-4 p.m. in the Berkeley, Oakland and Piedmont area. Members living in these East Bay communities will be receiving a personal invitation by phone or email. The get-togethers are a fun way to meet members who live locally and are designed to help us link up with others who share similar genealogy research interests. The coffees are also a great way to set up car pools for future CGS meetings, events or research trips. CGS President, Jane Lindsey will give guests an update on current events at the society.

If you live in our target area, please save the date and let us know if you can come. You can also feel free to bring a friend who may be interested in joining our society. Let us know if you need transportation - we can help you arrange a carpool.

The first CGS coffees were held in 2006 in the Lamorinda and Rossmore areas (the latter was jointly hosted with the Mount Diablo Genealogical Society.) Future coffees are planned for members living in San Francisco, Marin, the Peninsula, San Jose, Napa/Sonoma and Sacramento. If you are interested in hosting an event in your area or you would like to help coordinate these events, please contact me at CGSpublicity@gmail.com or call the society.