27 Public Libraries and the Internet Archive Launch “Community Webs” for Local History Web Archiving

Dick Eastman · March 14, 2018 · Announcements, Current Affairs · No Comments

I have to believe this could become a huge resource for genealogists. According to an announcement in the Archive.org Blog:

“With generous support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as well as the Kahle/Austin Foundation and the Archive-It service, the Internet Archive and 27 public library partners representing 17 different states have launched a new program: Community Webs: Empowering Public Libraries to Create Community History Web Archives. The program will provide education, applied training, cohort network development, and web archiving services for a group of public librarians to develop expertise in web archiving for the purpose of local memory collecting. Additional partners in the program include OCLC’s WebJunction training and education service and the public libraries of Queens, Cleveland and San Francisco will serve as “lead libraries” in the cohort. The program will result in dozens of terabytes of public library administered local history web archives, a range of open educational resources in the form of online courses, videos, and guides, and a nationwide network of public librarians with expertise in local history web archiving and the advocacy tools to build and expand the network. A full listing of the participating public libraries is below and on the program website.”

This could result in huge online collections local history and information created by libraries nationwide. The list of participating libraries is impressive, ranging from big city libraries to one small town library near me. You can learn more at: http://bit.ly/2IqBJi1.

Ukrainian Genealogy Group to Host a Virtual Conference

Dick Eastman · March 5, 2018 · Conferences · No Comments

The following announcement was written by Nashi Predky, the family history group of the Ukrainian History and Education Center:

The Ukrainian History and Education Center (UHEC) is proud to announce the first-ever virtual event for Ukrainian genealogy. Nashi Predky (Our Ancestors), the family history group of the UHEC, will be hosting their 2018 Spring Workshop virtually on Saturday, March 17^th .

Since the group’s formation in 2013, all of the workshops and annual conferences have been held at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Somerset, New Jersey. This year, the committee is excited to offer this event to fellow researchers who may not be able to travel for an in-person event.

The one-day event will begin at 9 a.m. with welcoming remarks from the event Chairperson Justin Houser, and the UHEC Archivist Michael Andrec. The workshop agenda includes four presentations with Question & Answer periods as well as breaks between sessions.

Attendees will watch presenters from around United States and Poland speak on the following topics:

• Greek Catholics in Poland and Family //Research/ by Tadeusz Piłat (Poland)
• Introduction to Ukrainian Genealogy/ by Justin Houser (Pennsylvania)
• Introduction to DNA and Genetic Genealogy/ by Paul Woodbury (Utah)
• A Historical Overview of Ukraine/ by Michael Andrec (New Jersey)

Using the GoToWebinar online conferencing platform, attendees can view the presentations from anywhere in the world on their own computer or mobile device with an Internet connection. Those attending the live sessions can also actively participate in the talks and ask questions through a special chat feature. Presentations will be archived for a 72-hour period after the event ends.

To learn more about the event, including lecture descriptions and speaker bios, and to complete the online registration, please visit the event page: https://www.ukrhec.org/nashi-predky-online-workshop-2018

Don’t hesitate! There are less than 100 spaces available for the online event.

Why You Might Want to Attend a Virtual Conference

Dick Eastman · March 6, 2018 · Conferences · 6 Comments 

 

I believe virtual conferences are the wave of the future. I just returned from a 4-day genealogy conference in Salt Lake City. With the air travel, hotel expenses, restaurant meals, and conference admission, I spent more than $1,500 US. I also spent six days away from home: one day traveling to the event (in the cheapest airline coach seats I could find), four days at the conference, and one more day returning home. I am sure that attendees from overseas spent much more than I did.

Obviously, many people are not able to pay that much money or to take that many days out of their lives to attend such an event, regardless of their interest level. Luckily, technology can provide an alternative.

Holding events online is called a “virtual conference.” The presenters usually remain in their homes, using their own computers and video cameras to deliver their talks, videos, and slide shows. Attendees also typically remain in their homes or go to a nearby library or office and watch the conference events live on computers. Travel expenses and meals are close to zero. Even a conference syllabus is usually available online as a free electronic download, much cheaper than the $25 to $50 required to print each syllabus on paper.

In addition, the virtual conference organizers do not need to spend thousands of dollars for renting a modern conference center. The end result is lower costs all around. The attendees benefit again because admittance to virtual conferences is usually much, much cheaper than attending a conference in person.

Is an online virtual conference just as effective as attending a conference in person? I will suggest it is not. There are several elements missing in a virtual conference. I know I certainly miss the camaraderie of talking with other attendees in the hallways or in social situations before and after the daily conference events. Nonetheless, I will suggest that the virtual conferences do provide MOST of the benefits of an in-person conference and do so at a fraction of the price of traditional events.

Their are two financial considerations:

1. The ever-increasing expenses of travel, hotels, and restaurant meals
2. The ever-decreasing expenses of producing live virtual conferences

Here is a suggestion to future conference organizers: you might want to hold your next event in the online world.