Arizona State University Libraries is seeking a Digital Archivist in the Phoenix area. The help wanted ad states:

"Under the direction of the Archivist of the Senator John S. McCain Papers, this position leads the planning, management, description, reformatting, and preservation program for the Senator John S. McCain Papers digital content within the context of the entire collection and the collections at ASU in alignment with University technology standards and security requirements. This position provides expertise in the handling of unique digital records, including digital forensics work and preservation activities."

Details may be found at: https://jobs.chronicle.com/job/430459/digital-archivist

The following is a press release written by FamilySearch:

FamilySearch expanded its free online archives this week with nearly 3 million new indexed family history records added to New Zealand Electoral Rolls, plus church records added to country collections from Brazil, Puerto Rico, Spain, Venezuela and elsewhere.

Discover missing facts about your ancestors in historical records from the United States in Alaska Vital Records, Georgia Tax Digests, Iowa Delayed Birth Records, South Carolina (Charleston District) Bill of Sale of Negro Slaves, Virginia and Washington County Death Registers, plus expanded collections for Hawaii and Illinois.

Millions of new genealogy records are added each week to make your searches more successful. Find your ancestors using the latest collection expansions listed below.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? Check back next week and, in the meantime, search existing records on FamilySearch. For other exciting genealogy content, peruse over 1,000 free, on-demand sessions from RootsTech Connect 2021.

The list of newly-added records this week is long, too long. to fit here. You can view the entire list at:  https://bit.ly/3thIGMm.

I just moved a few weeks ago. As tiring and expensive as that was, I cannot imagine the effort required for a €90 million ($ 102,000,000+ U.S. dollars) move!

Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland is preparing to move its treasury of 750,000 books prior to the restoration of the 300 year old building. The library contains some of Europe's most treasured volumes, including the ornately decorated ninth-century Book of Kells.

Plans for the five year restoration set the price at €90 million.

"Moving 750,000 vulnerable books is quite an undertaking, so we are having to pilot everything to see what is involved," said Trinity College librarian and archivist Helen Shenton.

Officials note that every book must be examined, dusted, carefully cleaned and repaired, if required.

You can read more at https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/272130238/ireland-trinity-college-dublin-begins-90m-euro-renovation.

Microsoft Office is by far the most popular office suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) of programs in the world. It is used by millions of people around the world. There is but one problem: it is overpriced at $100 for a one-year subscription (to $160 for the full version). Indeed, there are dozens of free and low-cost competitors to Microsoft Office and most of the competitors work just as well as the marketplace leader: Microsoft Office.

However, if you want the real thing, it is also available free of charge although the free version is missing a few things.

Obtaining the free version is simple:

1. Go to Office.com.

2. Log in to your Microsoft account or create one an account for free. (If you already have a Windows, Skype or Xbox Live login, you have an active Microsoft account.)

3. Select the app (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) you want to use, and save your work in the cloud with OneDrive.

That's it! It will work forever.

What's The Catch?

OK, so there are a few drawbacks.

1. First of all, the free versions want you to save your output in OneDrive. It is possible to save it someplace else but the programs default to OneDrive and saving it elsewhere requires a number of extra mouseclicks.

2. The free versions only run in your web browser, and you can only use them when you're online.

3. The free versions also have fewer features than the full Microsoft 365 versions. To be sure, all the features used by the majority of users are fully functional. However, that is not very reassuring when the "missing features" include one that you really, really want to use.

My recommendation?

Obtain the free (online) version and use it for as long a it meets your needs. If it doesn't work for you, you can always later purchase the full version of Microsoft Office or obtain one of the competitive free products (LibreOffice, Apache Open Office, WPS Office, SoftMaker FreeOffice, Apache Open Office, ONLYOFFICE Personal, Polaris Office, SSuite Office, Google Docs, DropBox Paper, or any of several other products. I recommend LibreOffice).

However, if you're looking for basic versions of Word, Excel, and/or PowerPoint, the free version should work well for you.

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

Do you have boxes of old 8-millimeter home movies? If so, I'd suggest you copy them immediately to more modern media. Those movies started to deteriorate within a few days after they were developed. The colors started to fade and the film itself started to become brittle. To be sure, the changes were not visible to the human eye for a number of years. Nonetheless, the process started almost immediately. Now, a few decades later, the films undoubtedly have faded a noticeable amount and the film itself has lost flexibility.

If you procrastinate even longer, there is a risk the movies will not be useable or viewable at all. If so, the images of an entire generation of your relatives may be lost.

Reel-to-reel 8-millimeter film has an expected shelf life of about twenty to forty years, although some films probably will last much longer than that. The difficulty is in guessing which films will last a long time: there are no guarantees. Some will survive for decades, others will not. You cannot easily guess in advance which will be which.

Once converted to digital video files, degradation of the images will cease. While you cannot easily restore what has already faded, you can easily prevent further degradation at any time. Even better, by making multiple backups and storing them in different locations, you can easily preserve and even share these movies with other relatives who may be interested, something that is difficult to do with film.

There are two different methods of converting old movie film to video files. However, the results produced by these two methods are radially different from each other in quality and even in "watchability," if that is a word.

The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/12247587.

If you are not yet a Plus Edition subscriber, you can learn more about such subscriptions and even upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription immediately at https://eogn.com/page-18077. 

FindmyPast has announced that the 1921 Census of England and Wales, containing information about nearly 38 million people, is now available on that site. (See https://eogn.com/page-18080/12243959 for the details.) Several people have written to me asking why it isn't available on Ancestry.

The quick answer is because the National Archives has signed an EXCLUSIVE deal with Findmypast.

Researchers from Findmypast have spent three years delving into and digitising the findings of the 1921 census, which consists of 28,000 physical volumes. It isn’t yet known when, or whether, the 1921 census will eventually be released on Ancestry. I cannot speculate on just when that will be. Given the National Archives’ exclusive contract with Findmypast, it may be some time.

In other news, the 1921 Scottish census will be released via ScotlandsPeople, the Scottish government’s official archive site, in the second half of this year.

According to an article written by Patricia Claus and published in the Greek Reporter web site:

"Greek Ancestry and the Hellenic Genealogy Geek are sponsoring the second annual online conference on Greek genealogy later this month, viewable for free on YouTube.

"Taking place on January 29 to 30, 2022, the conference will offer invaluable insights and techniques for those who are on the sometimes difficult path of searching for their ancestors in Greece.

"The conference will be live-streamed on the Greek Ancestry YouTube channel and all sessions will be recorded and available within 24 hours after the presentation, so that anyone can review the information."

You can read the entire article at: https://greekreporter.com/2022/01/07/greek-ancestry-genealogy-conference/.

"Many digital collections documenting the history of the Upper Peninsula are now freely accessible and searchable on the U.P. Digital Network (UPLINK) website hosted by the Central U.P. and Northern Michigan University Archives.

"Collections already online or soon to be available include the following: newspapers such as The Mining Journal and Grand Marais Gazette; business records from the Copper Range Company and others; lighthouse records from Ontonagon; and oral history collections related to Italian Americans, the Marquette Women's Center and more. NMU digitized materials, ranging from yearbooks and historical photos to audio interviews and videos, are also accessible online.

"UPLINK began in 2021 with a two-year implementation grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. It is a consortium of heritage organizations—archives, libraries, museums and historical societies—intended to pool resources and skills to make digitization and digital preservation affordable. In addition to hosting the project website, the Central U.P. and NMU Archives is the principal service site in the region."

You can learn more in an article in the Northern Today web site at: https://news.nmu.edu/uplink-website-history-active.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

• • Findmypast and The National Archives publish the historic records online for the very first time
  • Offers an unprecedented glimpse into life 100 years ago, detailing life after WW1, impact of the Spanish Flu pandemic, economic turmoil, housing crisis and major social change
  • Captures the details of 38 million individuals, providing never before seen insights into life in the 1920s
  • Records reveal the lives of both the ordinary and extraordinary, documenting everyone from war veterans, widows and orphans, working women and vagrants to prominent individuals such as national treasure Sir Captain Tom Moore, mathematician and Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing, Lord of the Rings author J. R. R. Tolkien, Tale of Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter, first female MP to take her seat in Parliament Nancy Astor, The Royal Family and many more

6^th January 2021, London: Findmypast and The National Archives today publish the highly anticipated 1921 Census of England and Wales online, as the 100-year rule, which ensures records are closed to the public for 100 years, has ended.

After three years of intensive conservation and digitisation and with the help and support of the Office for National Statistics, the Census is now available to search and explore online, only at Findmypast.co.uk.

Taken on June 19^th 1921 after being delayed by two months due to industrial unrest, the 1921 Census saw over 38,000 enumerators dispatched to every corner of England of Wales to capture the details of more than 38 million people. This included over 8.5 million households as well as all manner of public and private institutions ranging from prisons and military bases to public schools and workhouses.

Offering more detail than any previous census ever taken, the 1921 Census of England and Wales not only asked individuals about their age, birth place, occupation and residence (including the names of other household members and the number of rooms), but also their place of work, employer details, and gave ‘divorced’ as an option for marital status.

Now accessible to the public for the first time, these valuable documents provide visitors to Findmypast with millions of unique opportunities to uncover the lives of their ancestors, the history of their homes and communities, as well as providing a fascinating snapshot of life during an era that will resonate with many today.

Falling between the two world wars, the record paints a disparate picture of England and Wales, from the Royal household to the average working-class citizen, still reeling from the impact of WW1 a major housing crisisthe Spanish flu pandemic, ravaged economy and industrial turmoil.

The publication of these documents will mark the last significant census release for England and Wales in many people’s lifetime as the 1931 Census was destroyed in a fire and the 1941 Census was never captured due to the Second World War. This means the next census will not be available until 2052.

Snapshot of a nation

The 1921 Census demonstrates the rapid social and cultural change the country was undergoing, with the changing role of women and the impact of WW1 proving particularly apparent.

Owing to the vast number of men who fell in the war, the Census reveals there were 1,096 women for every 1,000 men recorded, with this discrepancy being the biggest for those aged between 20 and 45. This means there were over 1.7 million more women than men in England and Wales, the largest difference ever seen in a census. Also, now that ‘divorce’ was an option for marital status, over 16,000 were recorded but this figure is likely to be much higher due to the stigma surrounding divorce at the time.

There was also a dramatic increase in the number of people recorded in hospitals with a 35% increase from 1911, three quarters of whom were men presumably suffering from wounds received in the war. Thanks to the additional information recorded on the status of parents and children, the census also reveals the devastating impact the war had on families with over 730,000 fatherless children being recorded versus 261,000 without a mother.

As a result of the number of men killed or left permanently disabled, the 1921 Census also saw many more women stepping into employment, with an increase in the number of women working as engineers, vets, barristers, architects and solicitors. Notes of protest and pleas have been discovered among the schedules from struggling individuals, including that of 39-year-old veteran Thomas Mawson who was left “consumptive” after being gassed in France. Mawson left a note on his return describing how he was “going to the sanatorium” as he had “not worked since the war” and was struggling to live on 30 shillings a week.

Just as we are coping with Covid-19 today, the 1921 Census also reveals how the Spanish flu affected the psyche of the population, with one record being stained with disinfectant and featuring a comment about how the writer was doing everything he could to avoid catching the illness.

Famous faces

From the famous to the infamous, the documents also provide a vivid snapshot of the lives of prominent individuals alive at that time, including cultural icons such as Lord of the Rings writer - J.R.R. Tolkien, Famous Five author - Enid Blyton, Peter Rabbit writer - Beatrix Potter, Winnie the Pooh author - A.A. Milne and the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle. On the night the Census was taken Conan Doyle was playing host to a number of mystics and psychics, suggesting he may have been holding a seance at the time.

Details of national treasure Sir Captain Tom Moore, war hero and mathematician Alan Turing, suffragette Millicent Fawcett, Prime Minister David Lloyd George, the first female MP to take her seat in Parliament Nancy Astor, the first female racing car driver Dorothy Levett and scientist Alexander Fleming, also come to life in the pages of the Census.

Real-life members of the Peaky Blinder gang, including founding member Thomas Mucklow, and other notorious criminals such as serial killers John Haig, the “acid bath murderer”, and Reginald Christie of 10 Rillington Place can also be found within the records

Due to the fact householders could now specify the names and addresses of their employer, and even the materials they worked with, this was the first Census to record many of the iconic brands which are now household names. This includes Boots, Cadbury’s, Selfridge’s, Schweppes, Sainsbury’s, Rolls Royce, McVities and many more, revealing where and how the workers that helped build them lived.

Tamsin Todd, CEO of Findmypast says:

This is a day when we as a nation get to reflect on our shared history and personal history, as we read the extraordinary stories captured by the 1921 Census of England & Wales. Taken between two world wars, following a global flu pandemic, during a period of economic turmoil and migration, with social change at home as women won the right to vote, the 1921 Census documents a moment in time that will resonate with people living today.

It has been a great honour for Findmypast to work with The National Archives as its selected partner to digitise and transcribe the 1921 Census. I am incredibly proud of our Findmypast team who have worked with passion and dedication to conserve, scan, and transcribe 38 million historical records. Our advanced search technology enables family historians to easily find and view images of the 1921 Census, and connect individual records into their family trees. Family historians around the world can now meaningfully search the Census to reveal where and how their ancestors lived and worked 100 years ago.

Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper at The National Archives, says:

“Census releases are keenly anticipated and create a period of collective curiosity about the past. These records reveal what has changed and evolved over time but can also provide familiarity with our lives today.

“The 1921 Census allows a snapshot of life 100 years ago, at a time when individuals and communities were embarking on a new era where everyday rights and roles were changing. What makes it even more important is that it will be the last census release for England and Wales for 30 years, with the 1931 Census lost in a fire during the Second World War and the 1941 Census never taken.

“As home to more than 1,000 years of history, The National Archives is delighted to be working with Findmypast to open up this unique collection to the world.”

Mary McKee, Head of Content Publishing Operations at Findmypast says:

“We are honoured to have been entrusted with the mammoth task of conserving and digitising these precious documents. Our team has committed themselves diligently for three years to ensure that our nation’s history could be preserved for future generations

Whilst the scale of the Census is staggering, we are particularly excited for people to discover the individual stories of their ancestors as they can now learn about their lives in exceptional detail. Be it some animal paw prints visible on the page, or a witty note added in alongside their response - through the Census we can start to really understand who these people were and what they were experiencing at the time.”

As the largest mass-digitsation project ever completed by either The National Archives or Findmypast, today’s release is the result of three years of highly skilled work conducted under strict security measures to ensure all census data remained completely confidential until today. Since winning the competitive tender to digitise the Census in 2019, hundreds of Findmypast conservation specialists, technicians and transcribers have painstakingly conserved, digitised and transcribed more than 30,000 bound volumes of original documents stored on over a mile of shelving.

Thanks to Findmypast’s innovative use of search and data matching technology, users can search all 38 million records by name, location, address, birth place, nationality, occupation, employer and more to instantly reveal valuable details about the history of their families, homes or communities.

Sanchia Berg has published an article in the BBC News web site including a story about the real Downton Abbey that will interest many genealogists:

"A unique snapshot of life one midsummer night - just over 100 years ago - reveals, among other things, life in the real Downton Abbey, how slum families pleaded for better homes, and why a man from Yorkshire wasn't able to divorce his wife.

"Pages from the 1921 Census - made available for the first time - reveal glimpses of some of the lives of the 38 million people living in England and Wales on the evening of 19 June that year. At the time, the country was recovering from the shocks of World War One and the Spanish flu pandemic."

Highclere Castle in Hampshire in 1890 - the filming location for Downton Abbey

You can find the article at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59879470.

My thanks to newsletter reader John Rees for telling me about this story.