Do We Still Need Libraries?

Source: http://www.beautiful-libraries.com/library%20photos/home%20libraries%20grand/3004.jpg

A provocative and yet important question!

The New York Times recently “held” a debate in its “Room for Debate” Opinion Pages on just this topic.  There were four debaters who presented their perspectives and then 192 comments were posted and possibly more when accounting for Facebook and Twitter activity.

The introduction states:

The New York Times reports that, as big stores like Borders disappear, “many public libraries are seeing an opportunity to fill the void created by the loss of traditional bookstores.”

Is that the right direction for libraries to take? What are libraries for, and how should they evolve?

Given how much research your average genealogist has done historically in libraries, this is a topic very important to us.

Just recently, a branch library in Wake County (NC) was remodeled and some of the most notable changes were more open space, more computers and less books!

I will admit to “physically” using the county libraries less than I used to when the kids were little and we were frequently there to get books and attend programs.  Though, I use the State Library of NC and other more narrowly-focused libraries much much more as I do research.

And, I do use “elements” of the Wake County library without having to leave my house – I can do interlibrary loan requests online, access select databases (e.g. HeritageQuest Online, Sanborn Maps, etc), see what’s happening and more.

My mom was a big user of the library in the town where I grew up, even though I did find the back bookcases kind of musty and dim.  Many a high school research project was completed using its resources and I was able to borrow books which expanded my reading beyond some classics, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and an encyclopedia set, which was all we had in our house.

My kids have a slightly different perspective.  Though we did go to the library to borrow books, they also were gifted or purchased with their spending money many books.  Additionally, by the time they were in third grade, reports were being done on computers at the school and the research was being done at the school library.  The shift to college created a world where much research is done online and on-campus libraries are more for study group gatherings.  On occasion, I do have my daughter look at a real book and copy pages from it for me!

As a part of the research I do now, there is a not a month that goes by where I don’t contact a library for some reason. Some recent questions by me have been:

• Can they search for an obituary for me? 
• Do they have a vertical file for a particular family name?  
• Would they look up something in a book that worldcat tells me they have a copy of?  
• Have any local surveys of cemeteries been conducted?
• It appears that this funeral home has closed, do they know if another bought them out or where are their records?

Since I still find libraries invaluable, even if they have morphed through time, my answer has to be -- YES, we still need libraries.

Do you still find libraries invaluable to your research? Do you think we still need libraries? If yes, what makes them important now and in the future?

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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BCG’s New Blog: SpringBoard: News and Notes

Whether you are pursuing genealogical certification or not the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) has produced some great resource material and has a very helpful website.  And, now, it has a new blog.  Here is the announcement from BCG.

The 49-year-old Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), the group that wrote the book on genealogical standards, recently joined the blogosphere with its blog, SpringBoard: News and Notes, accessed from http://www.BCGcertification.org.

According to BCG president Elissa Scalise Powell, CG^SM, CGL^SM, of Pennsylvania, the blog will communicate news about BCG and events it sponsors or participates in. Early posts introduced officers Powell; vice-president Michal Ramage, J.D., CG, of Pennsylvania; secretary Dawne Slater-Putt, CG, of Indiana; treasurer Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG, of Illinois; and member-at-large Stefani Evans, CG, of Nevada; and gave notice of a fee change effective January 1. Another post announced new audio clips from three Board-certified genealogists describing why they chose to seek certification.

Future posts will come from BCG officers, trustees, and committee members and will include

• names and profiles of new certificants (whose portfolios of work have been judged to meet the standards set out in the BCG Genealogical Standards Manual),
• news of conferences and events where BCG will have a presence through exhibit booths, lectures, certification seminars, and social events, and
• information, advice, and explanation on genealogy standards, the certification procedures, and other items of interest.

In addition a current-events calendar lists where BCG will have a presence. Anyone may subscribe to email notifications of new posts from the site as well.

Using blog software through its website allows BCG to communicate more frequently than its triannual newsletter, OnBoard, to which anyone may subscribe for a yearly fee. The organization also has a presence on Facebook (currently open to the public) and LinkedIn® (for associates).

Said Powell, “We enjoy being able to offer timely news and notes to help advance the mission we began in 1964–defining, supporting, explaining, and advocating high standards in genealogy.”

FYI: BCG is an independent certifying body recognized nationally and internationally. It is not affiliated with, or part of, any group. More information is available at http://www.bcgcertification.org/aboutbcg/index.html.

Certified Genealogist, Certified Genealogical Lecturer, CG and CGL are proprietary service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) used by the Board to identify its program of genealogical competency and evaluation and used under license by the Board’s associates. The Board’s name is registered with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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The importance of online family trees often lies in their uncertainty

Group Gathering -- includes my mum, her best friend, her brothers, her mother and a grandmother and a whole bunch of people not yet identified, c. 1950, Lancashire, England

There are many reasons why we construct family trees.  Sometimes it’s to document a well-known past and sometimes it’s to discover a history previously unknown to us.

My own personal journey was more about what I did NOT know about my family than what I did know.  When families move away from their birth places, when many die young, when survivors are mobile in their quest for finding work, learning the facts is hard enough, never mind figuring out what colors belong between the lines.

I think that is why an article with the above title by Emily Kasriel and published at guardian.co.uk caught my eye since her subtitle is “In creating a digital family tree from a fragmented past, I learned that accuracy often yields to the necessity of a personal narrative.”

Too often we cannot acquire documentation to provide us with the facts of our ancestor’s lives.  Wars, pests, nature and people have all contributed to the destruction of documents which may have told us more.  Yet, they did live their lives and we do sometimes have family stories that might give us the color though not the lines.  And, capturing and sharing those personal narratives does have value.

My personal history has some lines and a lot of color. And, in a way, not having so many lines encouraged me to look for more color.  Who wants to receive a family binder of only a few pages, when I could create much more by including information on the towns where they lived, the ships they traveled on, the churches they attended, the places where they were employed and much more.  None of which helped add more ancestors to my tree, and yet, left me satisfied that I knew more about their lives than I would have otherwise.

Please do read Emily’s article and check out all the comments posted by others.

What was your reaction to what she shared?

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Mapping the 2010 Census -- a less cluttered approach that gives great perspective on population density and natural barriers

Wilmington NC area from http://bmander.com/dotmap/index.html

Census and Maps – what a great combination!

Thomas MacEntee (via FB) mentioned this “new” map which I think is brilliant (borrowing that expressing from my UK cousins!). It is a map created by an MIT graduate student who plotted the population for the 2010 census and nothing else.

Obviously, most of us, don’t have much direct need for information from the 2010 census for our genealogical research and where I have found it helpful is that it really gives you insight into the geographic features which have and did influence where people can live.  For example, the absence of population is noted in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, the Appalachian Mountains, and south central Florida, all because of natural features which prevent people from living in those locations.

These same geographic features also existed at the time of our ancestors.  For example, the Dismal Swamp (straddles the NC/VA border area) is still an area where few live and which influenced not only where people lived and where they did business.  It was not unusual for those living in eastern North Carolina to conduct business in southern Virginia instead of traveling “around” the southern edges of the swamp to conduct the same business elsewhere in NC.  Understanding geography always benefits us when researching our ancestors.

Do check out the detailed map (which you can zoom in and out on) here.

Did something you see on the map give you a “eureka” moment in terms of understanding your ancestors and where they lived?

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Women in the Civil War -- Images

A friend on FB pointed out a wonderful site, In the Swan’s Shadow, and associated Facebook page, Civil War Women/In the Swan’s Shadow, which focuses on Women in the Civil War, in images. 

Once I saw these images, I became very curious to know what other resources exist for the images of women during the Civil War.  We often see images of men who served and not so much of the women.  Having done a fair amount of Civil War research, including reading personal diaries and letters about conditions at “home,” I have concluded that many women were just struggling to support their families and lived a very hard life both during the war and afterwards.

If images of women from the Civil War interest you, check out these additional resources:

•  Photographs of Women During the Civil War: Selected Images (Library of Congress)
• Mathew Brady - Women of the Civil War (NARA via flickr)

Google Search Composite

I also found “Women Soldiers of the Civil War” as published in Prologue (NARA magazine) a fascinating read.

What resources would you suggest to someone interested in Women in the Civil War, whether on the home front or serving elsewhere?

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Internment camp letters found in Denver building

Image as appeared with original article

It never ceases to amaze me what documents and other treasures are still “found” in the walls of buildings or stored in attics and basements!  Sometimes you might figure that someone wanted to hide the items and other times we know that old newspapers were used for insulation.  

This AP article, by Colleen Slevin in artdaily.org’s blog, “Internment camp letters, where 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry lived, found in Denver building” talks about just such a find.

DENVER (AP).- Some letters arriving from Japanese-American internment camps during World War II were very specific, asking for a certain brand of bath powder, cold cream or cough drops — but only the red ones. Others were just desperate for anything from the outside world.

"Please don't send back my check. Send me anything," one letter said from a California camp on April 19, 1943.

The letters, discovered recently during renovations at a former Denver pharmacy owned by Japanese-Americans, provide a glimpse into life in some of the 10 camps where 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry, including U.S. citizens, from the West Coast were forced to live during the war ...

Do read the full article.

Has this happened in your community, where the demolition or remodeling of a building has revealed a hidden treasure trove of documents from an important time in history or which have great significance to those researching ancestors?

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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The trench talk that is now entrenched in the English language

source: http://www.utne.com/uploadedImages/utne/blogs/Great_Writing/wordnik.jpg?n=4100

With a daughter studying to be a linguist, I always have an eye open for articles about linguistics to share with her!  And, sometimes, these same articles have relevance to genealogists and family historians.

Once recent article on The Telegraph website talks about what lingo common now came out of the trenches of World War I.

If you’re feeling washed out, fed up or downright lousy, World War One is to blame.

New research has shown how the conflict meant that hundreds of words and phrases came into common parlance thanks to the trenches.

Among the list of everyday terms found to have originated or spread from the conflict are cushy, snapshot, bloke, wash out, conk out, blind spot, binge drink and pushing up daisies.

Read the full article.

Words and their usage is very important to us!  How else do we interpret the documents we acquire?  We need a thorough understanding of the context and usage of the vocabulary of the time and place in order to best comprehend and interpret each document which we incorporate into our research.

Did other military conflicts also add to our vocabulary?  If so, tell us which conflict and what words or phrases!

Editor’s Note: Do recognize that this article was posted on a UK website and so some of the vernacular mentioned may not have made it across the pond and much of it has.

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Happy New Year -- Wishing NGS members and family historians everywhere a safe, healthy, happy and prosperous 2013

Source: http://enjoyfestivals.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Happy-New-Year-in-Different-Languages.jpg

Auld Lang Syne

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind ?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and old lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !

and surely I’ll buy mine !

And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,

and picked the daisies fine ;

But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine† ;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !

And give us a hand o’ thine !

And we’ll take a right good-will draught,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auld_Lang_Syne -- do read about the tradition behind the song !

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copyright © National Genealogical Society, 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22204-4370. http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog.

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Republication of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS. Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article. Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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