Using Online Library Catalogs - Saturday, June 8, 2013

Saturday June 8, 2013
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

California Genealogical Society Library
2201 Broadway, Suite LL2
Oakland, California 94612

Browsing is fun. We've all whiled away the hours scanning the shelves of our favorite bookstores. But libraries aren't bookstores and browsing a library is not research!

A recent survey of 600 genealogical society members revealed that more than half were not using online library catalogs. If you are a part of that majority, you are missing out on a valuable research tool.

Join California Genealogical Society librarians Barbara Hill and Laura Spurrier for an informative class on using online public access catalogs (OPACs) and how they can aid your genealogy research. Libraries large and small (including our own) have these databases you can access from home. Barbara and Laura will share their expertise so you can search effectively and utilize these powerful tools.

Register online.

This class is limited to thirty participants and is a free benefit of membership. Non-member fee is $20.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards membership on the day of the class.

Preregistration is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted. Registration confirmations will be sent to the first thirty registrants. Additional names will be collected and placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations.

Barbara Hill retired after thirty-three years of library work, with experience in a public library, a school library, a small scientific research library, and an academic library. Her last position, at the U.C. Berkeley Library, involved ordering books from all over the world. She ascribes her interest in genealogy to "prenatal influence," as her mother was researching the family tree at the Library of Congress before Barbara was born. Although she did not begin active pursuit of her ancestors until after her marriage, she has been at it ever since. Barbara has been a member of the California Genealogical Society since 1985 and currently serves on the Library Committee.

Laura Spurrier retired from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory after serving as a reference librarian, head of cataloging, and technical information specialist. Among her M.A. degrees, she has an M.L.S. from U.C. Berkeley. Genealogy was the family hobby in the Spurrier household so Laura caught the bug as a teenager. She is a specialist in Quaker research and has lectured on the topic to the society. Laura has been a member of the society since 1996 and currently serves on the Library Committee.


Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Wordless Wednesday

Membership Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony 

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Photographs courtesy of Ron Madson, Oakland, California.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Obscure Records of U.S. Citizenship and Nationality – a Free Lecture by Marian Smith

Bay Area genealogists who are unable to attend this year's National Genealogical Society Annual Conference in Las Vegas and will miss Opening Session will still have the opportunity to hear Marian L. Smith, chief of the historical research branch of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Member Margery Bell sent this notice:

The San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society and the Oakland FamilySearch Library are pleased to present a free lecture by Marian L. Smith, Senior Historian of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Monday, May 6, 2013
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Oakland FamilySearch Library
4766 Lincoln Ave. LL
Oakland, CA 95602

This presentation will focus on lesser-known federal records of derived citizenship, repatriation, and correspondence covering a variety of citizenship-related problems and topics. While the records discussed were created after 1906, some involve events that occurred years or decades before. In addition to case studies and examples, the presentation will provide guidance for researching the records at either USCIS or the National Archives.

The doors will open at 12:20 p.m. for those pre-registered with tickets. Space permitting, walk-ins will be allowed at 12:50 p.m.

To pre-register, Email the Oakland FamilySearch Library with "REGISTER" in the subject line.

Marian L. Smith is the Senior Historian of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly INS). Her research focus primarily involves official immigration agency records held in the National Archives in downtown Washington, DC, and her articles appear in the National Archives journal Prologue, the FGS Forum, and other publications. Her depth and range of knowledge never fail to impress her audiences.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

FamilySearch: What Is There for You - Thursday, May 23, 2013

 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

California Genealogical Society Library

2201 Broadway, Suite LL2

Oakland, California 94612

Have you used FamilySearch.org lately? If not, you will be amazed!

FamilySearch continues to add record sets from locations all over the world. In addition to its vast collection of historical documents, the site has many other resources for genealogists, including:

• FamilySearch Catalog
• Family History Books
• User Submitted Genealogies
• Research Wiki 
• Learning Center courses

Join Jane Knowles Lindsey for an overview of the site with a focus on historical records, the online catalog and the Wiki.

Register online.

This class is limited to twenty-five participants and is a free benefit of membership. Non-member fee is $10.00 (non-refundable) and can be applied towards membership on the evening of the class.

Preregistration is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted. Registration confirmations will be sent to the first twenty-five registrants. Additional names will be collected and placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations.

Jane Knowles Lindsey is past-president of the California Genealogical Society (CGS) and currently serves as chair of the Events Committee. She has just returned from leading the thirteenth annual CGS Research Tour to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Jane organizes and team teaches the Beginning and Intermediate level courses for the society.

Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.

Summer Evening Hours in the Library Start Thursday, May 23, 2013

The California Genealogical Society and Library is pleased to offer summer extended research hours, designed especially for members and patrons who work during the day.

This year summer is coming early! Starting May 23, 2013 and continuing every Thursday through August, the library will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Library hours on the two other open days each week will remain the same: Friday (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) and Saturday (10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.).

If you have never visited, please join us and take advantage of the many resources in the library. The library is a free benefit for members but non-members are welcome too. The library charges a nominal $5.00 users fee for non-members. We hope that once you explore our resources, you will want to join.

If you plan to drive, the lot in the rear of the building has a reduced rate after 3:00 p.m., and the metered spaces in Oakland are free after 6:00 p.m. (NOTE: they fill up fast!) Traveling by BART is easier – get off at the 19th Street station. The library is in the lower level of the Breuner Building at 2201 Broadway – entrance on 22nd Street.

To kick off Summer Extended Hours, Jane Lindsey will be presenting a class – FamilySearch: What There Is for You.


Copyright © 2013 by Kathryn M. Doyle, California Genealogical Society and Library.