 I had the pleasure of attending the RootsTech Media Dinner. This is an annual event held before RootsTech for Ambassadors and media types to get briefed on what to expect at this week's events. Here's a brief lowdown: Innovator Summit maxed out at 1,400 attendees. The RootsTech registrations are at about 12,000. When you factor in Family Day on Saturday, there will be 30,000 attendees! FamilySearch is still promoting their mission of capturing family stories. Now they're encouraging us to explore our family stories through our recipes. See more at FamilySearch.org/recipes. One thing you'll notice about RootsTech is more signage around town. Magenta banners decorate the lightposts and there's even a lovely lady greeting those arriving at the Salt Palace.  A view of about one quarter of the room during the media dinner.  My favorite swag of the evening: family tree cookie cutters!  They had a caricature artist at the dinner. Mine is great: giant head on a toothpick neck.  FamilySearch also made available the contestants for the Innovator Showdown. It was a great opportunity to see the products and their developers up close.
RootsTech is off to a great start. Stay tuned for more... Disclaimer: My admission to RootsTech was provided by RootsTech. The opinions posted here, however, are my own...as are my credit card charges for the flight and hotel.
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 The Discovery Center is free and open to the public. It is a fun way to share family history with the whole family. Today I had the opportunity to tour the Family History Library's Discovery Experience, which is set to open to the public February 8, 2017. The Discovery Center is the first thing you'll notice when entering the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The interactive exploration space is over 10,000 square feet, complete computers and touch screens that invite family history exploration. Visitors are given personal tablets to facilitate the Discovery Center experience. Users log on to their FamilySearch accounts to start the adventure. If you don't have a FamilySearch account, there are volunteers to help you create one and climb your family's tree. It's free. There are seven interactive stations where you dock your tablet to access the data in your own family tree. The stations are: What About Me? What is special about my birth year? Where I Come From: How in the world did you get here? My Time Machine: What was life like for my family a century ago? Record My Story: What are my most prized memories? Picture My Story: How would you look dressed like your ancestor? Picture Our Heritage: Why is our world culture so important? My Famous Relatives: Am I related to someone who made history? Interactive exploration is at the heart of the Discovery Center. Children are encouraged to utilize the touchscreens. They can input their birth years and see special events that happened at that time. During my visit, I saw a French-speaking family accessing family history information in their native language.  Personal tablet that Discovery Center visitors borrow for the duration.  Interactive station where you learn what life was like for your ancestors. Notice the pink squares below the monitors. Those are the users' docked tablets, each telling the story of one's ancestors.  Station where you're photographed in another time and place. The white docking station on the right is how the experience is tailored to your own ancestral heritage. The Discovery Center is free and open to the public. It is a fun way to share family history with the whole family.
 Saturday, February 25, 2017 | 10:30 AM – 3:45 PM
Join us at the Clayton Library for a day of research sources and methods celebrating African American heritage. Reservations required, please call 832-393-2600. Adults/Teens. Guest speaker Ari Wilkins is a genealogist, a library associate in the Genealogy Section of the Dallas Public Library, lecturer, and family historian. She has concentrated her interests in North Carolina and Louisiana research and specializes in African American genealogy and research. Ms. Wilkins consults for the Afrigeneas website and Proquest’s African American Heritage database. She has lectured nationally at FGS societies, Samford’s Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, and Alabama State University Genealogical Colloquium. Apprentice Records for Free People of Color | 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Explore apprentice records, laws, and circumstances surrounding free children of color. Learn how to find, use, and analyze these documents. Presented by guest speaker Ari Wilkins. Using Southern Ante Bellum Plantation Records | 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM Learn about the value of these records, how they are organized, and how to search this major collection. Presented by guest speaker Ari Wilkins. Brown Bag Lunch Break | 12:45 PM – 1:30 PM Mining the Slave Narratives: A Genealogical Goldmine | 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM For African-Americans the Slave Narratives are not just a rich historical resource but a genealogical goldmine of family history. Join us as staff member Franklin Smith covers tips and strategies, including DNA research, for mining the precious gems of information these documents might contain about your ancestors and their communities. African-American Resources at HPL’s Houston Metropolitan Research Center and the African American Library at the Gregory School | 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM This presentation will highlight the types of records found in archival collections for African-American research that are housed at the sister Special Collections units to Clayton Library.  Austin, TX – January 14, 2017 – The Texas State Genealogical Society (TxSGS) is excited to announce the first ever genealogy institute focused solely on Texas records. TIGR, the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research, is slated May 22-25, 2017, at the Thompson Conference Center at the University of Texas Austin. This intensive educational experience focuses on Texas records and research spanning early Spanish exploration and colonization through the Texas Republic and beyond.
Space is limited to first come-first served; early bird registration is open until March 1. TxSGS members receive a discount. About TIGR TIGR offers Texas researchers a four day records immersion program that addresses distinctly Texas issues. According to Kelvin L. Meyers, TIGR Coordinator, “The difference between TIGR and a national conference is the focus on the records in one of the places your ancestors lived.” Meyers continued, “You’re not only applying methodology to Texas records, you’re looking at the distinctive aspects of researching Texas records and applying techniques necessary to maximize your results.” In addition to Meyers, the faculty includes well-known experts on genealogy research and Texas records: Teri E. Flack, Anne Gillespie Mitchell, John A. Sellers and Cari A. Taplin. The Thompson Conference Center at UT Austin is conveniently located near top Texas records repositories such as the Texas General Land Office, the Texas State Library and Archives, the Dolph Briscoe Center for History, and the Bullock State History Museum. For more information on the TIGR 2017 Program, check out the links below:
About TxSGS The Texas State Genealogical Society (TxSGS) is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1960. Its purpose is to promote, develop, and preserve the genealogical and historical resources of and for Texas; to improve communications between genealogical societies in Texas; to cooperate with local, regional, national, and statewide groups in promoting family heritage; and to advance education of family historians as they pursue their past. Contact: TIGR@txsgs.org BCG OFFERS FREE WEBINAR Tuesday, 17 January, 8:00 p.m. Eastern  “Writing up your Research” by Michael J. Leclerc, CG
Writing up our research is the best way to preserve it. This presentation will examine different ways of writing and publishing, from blogs to books. The Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) will present “Writing up your Research” by Michael J. Leclerc, CG, free to the public at 8:00 p.m. EDT, 17 January 2017. Michael J. Leclerc, CG, is an internationally renowned genealogist. He has authored numerous articles for genealogy magazines and scholarly journals, and is a popular presenter at conferences and seminars around the world. Michael worked in a variety of capacities at the New England Historic Genealogical Society for 17 years prior to joining Mocavo as Chief Genealogist in 2012. He left there in 2015 to start Genealogy Professor (www.genprof.net), where he helps to provide genealogy education opportunities to family historians. He has edited several books, including Genealogical Writing in the 21st Century: A Guide to Register Style and More, Second Edition, with Henry Hoff, and the fifth edition of the seminal guidebook Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research. He was a contributing editor for American Ancestors magazine, and a consulting editor for The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Michael has served on the boards of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Federation of Genealogical Societies. You can reach him at www.mjleclerc.com and Facebook.com/michaeljleclerc. President Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG, says, “The Board for Certification of Genealogists is proud to offer this new webinar as part of an ongoing series that supports our mission to provide education for family historians. This webinar will address genealogy standards for research. By promoting a uniform standard of competence and ethics BCG endeavors to foster public confidence in genealogy.” Register for “Writing up your Research” by Michael J. Leclerc, CG, before 17 January 2017 at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7771888423857682691. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. For more information contact: office@BCGcertification.org. View BCG’s past Legacy webinars at http://familytreewebinars.com/bcg and http://bcgcertification.org/blog/bcg-webinars. For more information on educational opportunities, please visit: http://www.BCGcertification.org/certification/educ.html. The words Certified Genealogist are a registered certification mark, and the designations CG, CGL and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation.  What's your favorite BIG genealogy conference? I get that a lot. The answer is always RootsTech. Don't get me wrong, FGS and NGS put on great shows. The SCGS Jamboree is always stellar. However, when it comes to meeting my professional and personal family history needs, RootsTech wins out every time.
Why? Because of the TECH. Now, I'm not a tech geek by any definition. But RootsTech was the first family history conference to court other fields, other industries, and other markets. This has led to a lot of exciting options for meeting my clients' needs. The projects handled by Raincross Information Services are rarely one-dimensional. They are complex, needing different solutions for the various stages of the task. I want you to research my family's history AND digitize and organize these 5,000 items. That requires database software and some archive-management tools. I want you to compile a book about the desdendants of John and Jane Smith for our family reunion. That requires online options for locating and managing information on living folks, as well as knowledge of publishing sources. Just like no two family trees are the same, no two projects handled here are the same. Each is unique with their own demands. This requires me to keep up with all the latest tools in order to deliver good products to my clients. RootsTech makes it easy to stay current and interact with people whose solutions make my job easier. For this "outside the box" thinker, RootsTech always delivers. So this is a conference for professionals? No, NO. Heck no! RootsTech offers classes and features for all levels of experience. One of the reasons I love this conference so much is that it is so welcoming to beginners. I guarantee if you'll find something for you in the schedule. Next month I will be at RootsTech 2017, making beelines for the vendor hall, the demo area, and sessions that help me learn what can help me make my clients' family history experiences better. Will I see you there? Let me know. I would love to meet you and maybe even share a beverage or a meal. Disclaimer: I am a RootsTech Ambassador. This means that FamilySearch comped my admission to the event. However, these words are my own opinion and are no way infuenced by others.  'Tis the holiday season and in the coming days all over the globe families will reunite for a meal, a party, a church service, some laughs, or more.
Often we are so caught up in "getting ready for the holidays" that we for get to enjoy the very events for which we've been preparing. I'm not going to ask you to slow down and take everything in. Rather, I'm going to ask you to put one more thing on your holiday to-do list: gather a little family history. Now I can hear many of you saying "I don't do genealogy. That's __ (insert name of crazy relative here)__'s job!" But this task is for the non-genealogists in the crowd. It's not even a task, more like a favor to me. Here are three ways I'm asking the Genealogy-is-Boring crowd to help me out this year: 1. Pull out the old pictures and get everyone identified. Aften dinner is served and everyone is borderline comatose at the table, pull out the boxes and photo albums. Pass them around and take notes. You recognize grandma in her 1940s prom dress, but who is that handsome young man that's not grandpa in the photo? Who are those kids in the 1970s beach photo? As time slips by, all those people you used to know get forgotten. While your family is together, crowd source their knowledge to identify people, places and things. I bet you even get some good stories you've never heard. 2. Spend some time actually talking to your family. I know it's hard to believe, but there really was a time when people had to look at each other because we didn't have phones yet. Can you believe that? One of my favorite things to do is ask my grandma questions about her youth. Sometmes it's a challenge to get stories out of her, so I'll wait until she's had a glass of champagne or two. Hey, you have to seize the opportunity when it's given to you. Ask your--ahem--- "older" family members to tell stories of their youth so your younger famly members can see it really was possible to live without the Internet and we did fine. 3. Gather the recipes. If you're going to grandma's house, your parents' house, or any other family member, make a list of the "family" recipes you love so much. Write down the ones you have in front of you and make plans to get the others asap. This tip is brought to you by The Girl Who Wishes She Had Her Deceased Grandfather's Candy Recipes (aka me). You may think family history is boring, and that's ok. But at some point, you're going to have questions, foggy memories, a longing to taste grandma's cake again, and the people that have those answers will be gone. So take it from me, you don't have to *do* family history, but this holiday season, do these simple things so you don't lose what you already have. Top genealogists Pamela Boyer Sayre, Elizabeth Shown Mills, Ann Staley, Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, David McDonald, and Judy Russell will present six one-hour lectures held at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City Friday, 7 October 2016between 9 AM and 5 PM mountain U.S. time. The lectures are free and open to the public (registration is not required), sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. Most will also be broadcast online (free registration is required, see below). The board is an independent certifying body and author of the updated 2014 Genealogy Standards.
Times, topics, and speakers: 9:00 AM - "Enough is Enough. Or Is It?" Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL 10:15 AM - "FAN + GPS + DNA: The Problem-Solver's Great Trifecta." Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL 11:30 AM - "Black Sheep Ancestors and Their Records." Ann Staley, CG, CGL 1:30 PM - "Bringing Life to Our Ancestors: Manuscript Collections." Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG 2:45 PM - "Document Transcription & Analysis: A Workshop." David McDonald, CG 4:00 PM - "When Worlds Collide: Resolving Conflicting Evidence." Judy G. Russell, CG, CGL “Whether you stop in for the lectures or join online, you will learn more about how to apply good methodology to your family research,” said President Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG. “The Board for Certification of Genealogists strives to foster public confidence in genealogy by promoting an attainable, uniform standard of competence and ethics. Educating all family historians of every level is part of this mission.” For questions or more information contact office@BCGcertification.org. Register for the Online Broadcasts Five of the six classes will be broadcast online by BCG's webinar partner, Legacy Family Tree Webinars. Visit www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com/BCG to sign up individually (free)  Registration is now open for RootsTech, the world’s largest genealogy and technology conference in the world. Happening February 8–11, 2017, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, RootsTech 2017 will empower you to celebrate your family across generations using the newest technologies available.
For a limited time, the full RootsTech conference pass is available at a discounted price of $159. Regularly priced at $269, that’s over $100 in savings! A full RootsTech conference pass includes access to:
 The global innovation competition is now accepting entries. RootsTech, the world’s largest family history and technology conference, is now accepting entries for the 2017 Innovator Showdown—a “Global Innovation Competition” for developers and entrepreneurs seeking an opportunity to impact the growing multi-billion dollar family history industry while competing for $100,000 in cash and prizes. The Innovator Showdown seeks to support, foster, and inspire innovation within the family history marketplace. The deadline for submitting to the 2017 Innovator Showdown is December 1, 2016. The winners will present on stage and be selected by judges and live audience voting at RootsTech 2017 on Friday, February 10, 2017. Go to RootsTech.devpost.com `for more information. Last year, 50 contestants, including six international applicants, competed in the Innovator Showdown. In 2017, the total cash and in-kind Innovator Showdown prizes will again be $100,000—making it one of the most attractive innovator contests in the nation. Showdown Calendar:
The exciting Showdown Finals are held during RootsTech before a panel of industry judges, including genealogy, technology and business gurus, and a live audience of 3,000 family history consumers, making the Innovator Showdown arguably one of the largest live audience tech competitions in North America. Finals will also be streamed live through RootsTech.org to tens of thousands of online viewers. This year, five finalists will pitch their innovations, field questions from judges, and await the announcement of the winners, while real time audience voting is taking place via texting to determine the winner of the People’s Choice prize. Cash Prize Breakdown for Finalists:
2016 Showdown winners represented a wide variety of family history related products that included:
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AuthorAmy Lenertz, MLIS is the founder of Raincross Information Services. 
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