[CA-SCGS] We are Ready for Our Close-up!

As previously revealed, the Southern California Genealogical Society Library is proud to serve as the backdrop for an upcoming episode of the new hit series on TLC, Long Lost Family. We can now confirm that the episode will be airing at 10/9 C on Sunday, March 27th.

All of us at SCGS certainly enjoyed working with the cast and crew. Here are a few glimpses of the behind the scenes action that took place during filming.

Join us in watching this Sunday's episode of Long Lost Family airing on TLC at 10/9C on March 27th to catch a glimpse of your favorite genealogy library.

Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library
417 Irving Drive
Burbank, California
(818) 843-7247
scgsgenealogy.com

[CA-SCGS] The SCGS Research Library in the Spotlight - Long Lost Family

Television shows about family history and genealogy are one of the fastest growing sectors of the entertainment industry. The Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library is fortunate to be located in Burbank, California, right in the heart of the entertainment industry. While we can't reveal the identity of our famous members and patrons, we can finally reveal that the library recently served as the backdrop for an episode of a great new show debuting this Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 10/9 C on TLC.

Long Lost Family, hosted by Chris Jacobs and Lisa Joyner, is a series about the highly emotional and touching stories of people who have suffered a lifetime of separation and are yearning to be reunited with loved ones.

To learn more about the series, visit http://www.tlc.com/longlostfamily

The episode featuring SCGS as the backdrop is currently scheduled to air on March 27th. Watch this space for any updates!

Please join SCGS in watching this highly anticipated addition to the Genealogist's toolbox.

http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/index.php

Genealogy, SCGS Featured in Alaska Air Magazine

The December issue of the Paradigm, the Alaska Air magazine, features an article highlighting the growth of travel for family history.

The article can be found online at Time Travel - Genealogy enthusiasts trace their roots to distant places, expanding their sense of family. For those who read the hard-copy magazine, it starts on page 38.

The article mentions a number of genealogical organizations and events, including Southern California Genealogical Society and the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree; The National Archives' annual Genealogy Fair - Washington, DC; Tuolumne County Genealogical Society - Sonora, CA; Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT, and others. Our good friend Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak was also featured in the article.

The author, Leslie Forsberg, tells of her own family history trip and the emotions accompanying the miles. It's a story shared by so many of us who are searching for roots.  Tip o' the hat to Leslie, to SCGS president Alice Fairhurst, and everyone else who contributed to the article.

The URL: http://tinyurl.com/ParadigmSCGS

1940 Census Means Publicity Blitz for SCGS

Jay Holladay represented SCGS very well with the press this week. Not only was he interviewed by ABC-7, he was also featured in an article in the LA Times. In case you missed the television broadcast, the video has been posted online.

Jay sent the following note to members of the Board:

"Yesterday we managed to snag some great publicity for our society and for genealogy. Somewhat to my surprise, the press got very interested in the 1940 Census story. Both the Los Angeles Times and Channel 7 Eyewitness News found their way to the SCGS Library yesterday. I thought I could spend a quiet day at the library on the indexing project and other tasks, but the day turned out quite differently. Here are a couple of links to my fifteen minutes of fame -

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0403-1940-census-20120403,0,4037685.story

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=8605751

"I found it to be an interesting and fun experience to be interviewed, and I thought both reporters did a fine job."

Jay

Fran Bumann was also contacted by the press to discuss the 1940 census. Unfortunately, the reporter did not specify SCGS, but she did help to raise interest in genealogy among the readers. The article can be found here:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/252406/genealogists_excited_for_release_of_1940_census_family_history_sites_prepare.html

The download difficulty with the 1940 census was frustrating for everyone, but it was a real boon for genealogy publicity. It must be true what they say ... there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Thanks Jay and Fran!

SCGS and the 1940 Census - Featured on ABC7 News

Several members of the Southern California Genealogical Society were featured in a news report that appeared on the 6:00 p.m. news on Monday, April 2.

Watch the video here:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=8605751

Thanks to longtime volunteer Sally Emerson, IT team leader Jay Holladay, and the other SCGS volunteers who appeared in the video.

Great job everyone!

SCGS Featured in Burbank Leader -18 January

It's Getting Easier to Find the Right Genes #genealogy

Bryan Mahoney, a charming young reporter (Irish roots) from the Burbank Leader spoke with Leo and me after our Jamboree meeting on Saturday. There were a few factual errors in his article (I'm not *the* Director, I'm *a* director; we don't own our building, all of our books are not old and Leo is now 5 years younger than he was yesterday), though he may have point about beige on beige.

I expect we'll see Bryan at the library one of these days. The seeds of his family history journey were planted in Ireland when he was just a youngster. Bryan and his brother were fidgeting to get outside and explore, or to do whatever serves as pub crawling when you're 8 years old. But instead of sightseeing, his father was more interested in poring over church registers in search of missing Mahoneys. He spent three days hunched over handwritten lines. Bryan, we have a strong Irish interest group. Come in for one of our workshops. Marge will help you find the Maloneys that eluded your dad.

I have one big question. How am I ever going to explain how Jamboree is like a combination of Woodstock and Comic Con? As far as that goes, how am I even going to explain Comic Con? Maybe this year's badge ribbons should read ... what? Jambostock? Woodology? GEE-nee-ah-Con?

Whatever.

Just stay away from the Brown/Browne/Braun brick walls.

SCGS Featured on "FGS My Society" Internet Radio Program

SCGS was honored to be the guest on the new Internet radio program, "My Society" on May 21. Drew Smith and George G. Morgan, The Genealogy Guys, conducted the interview, and they did such a great job. They made it fun and relatively painless, and I want to thank both of them for being such warm and reassuring hosts.

I hope it provides you an insight to the development of technology solutions at SCGS.

If you missed it, you can hear the interview here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/05/21/bringing-technology-to-your-genealogy-society

SCGS is a member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, which sponsored the "My Society" radio program.

Enjoy!

Paula

Keep In Touch With SCGS

With the premier of “Who Do You Think You Are” last Friday night, the genealogical community is poised to experience a surge in interest in family history research.

Some are saying that the NBC program, along with “Faces of America” which was shown on PBS, will spark an interest level not seen since Roots in 1976.

News is breaking so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. It’s a great problem to have. I’m trying to update everyone on all the news by posting notices on the SCGS blog and on the SCGS website.

You don’t need to ~blog~ or ~do blogs~ or ~read blogs~ or ~anything blogs~ in order to keep up with the notices. All you need to do is go to the blog website and sign up to get email with any posts that were made in that day.

I encourage you to sign up to receive email notices. No one will get your email address. You won’t get posts from other individuals – the emails are one-way communications from SCGS. I’ll do my best to keep you updated on SCGS activities, news of bargains from genealogy suppliers, notices of media focus on genealogy, and other interesting bits and pieces of interest to genealogists.

Oh, by the way…

There’s a companion blog for Jamboree. If you’re planning to attend, or even just thinking about it, you can sign up to get those updates too. It's very rewarding to hear from our Jamboree blog readers that they were much more informed, and they enjoyed Jamboree even more, because of the updates posted to the blog.

As I write this, we have 6 subscribers to the SCGS blog and 367 subscribers to the Jamboree blog. Let’s see how those numbers change in the next 24 hours.

Become a Standard Bearer for Genealogy

Are you prepared to help capitalize on the opportunity that television programs like "Faces of America" and "Who Do You Think You Are" offer for societies like the Southern California Genealogical Society?

As a genealogist, you are in a position to help others understand the joy of unveiling a new generation in your family.  You can help share your passion and knowledge.  Let's think about some things that each of us can do to help spread the word.

For example, you can start water-cooler conversations "Did you see last night's 'Who Do You Think You Are"?  Once people know that you've an experienced genealogist or family historian, you will become a resource and they will look to you for advice.

If you find someone interested starting their own research, take the initiative to invite them to a genealogy program or visit a library. Offer to go with them to introduce them or show them around. You'll gain a research buddy and someone with whom to share your discoveries and your challenges.

Offer to do a look-up, or have them watch over your shoulder as you use Ancestry.com or FamilySearch to find a record for their family.  Remember how you felt the first time you saw your great-grandfather's name on a census record? You can give that feeling to someone else.

Carry a few copies of  your society's membership brochures in your purse or briefcase. Encourage them to explore membership.  Explain that they can learn effective search techniques and help them avoid the mistakes that we all made when we started.  Show them the Society's website and help them understand the education and resources available to them at a very nominal cost.  Have copies of the Society newsletter or journal to show, too. 

Contact your local PBS and NBC stations and provide them with contact information for your genealogical society.  Write a letter on the station's website and invite them to interview members -- a student member, a beginner, experienced professional, someone with a particularly interesting ancestor. 

Some churches, employers, schools have informal sessions where someone talks about their hobby or interest. Jump in and offer to lead one of those classes.

Individuals genealogists, as well as genealogical organizations, can help spread the word about family history.  What other ideas do you have to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity?

I'd love to hear them.


#WDYTYA  #SCGS

US version of "Who Do You Think You Are" on NBC's Schedule

The long-awaited US version of the popular British television program, "Who Do You Think You Are" is now slated to premier on Friday, March 5 at 8pm, 7pm Central. According to NBC's announcement, the show will run through April 30.

We hope this program will spur a renewed interest in genealogy, like what occurred following "Roots." It's a wonderful time for all of us to bring new members to the SCGS Library and into the Society. The newcomers will be grateful for the information and the Society will continue to thrive and grow.