From an article by Bethany Davis and published in the WSFA.com web site:

A new website is up and running to make all of the resources the Alabama Department of Archives has to offer more easily accessible.

The website is the culmination of a multi-year project to improve and enhance the agency’s online presence.

“The creation of our new website took years of planning and development. I am grateful to our staff for their diligent work to ensure that the new site will be a useful resource for the public. I also want to thank the team at the Alabama Office of Information Technology for applying their technical expertise to building the site and its many custom databases and applications. Together, we have created an effective and attractive online presence to carry the Archives forward in an age when so much of our lives are spent online,” said ADAH Director Steve Murray.

The “Alabama History Hub” is a one-stop resource for K-12 educators in the classroom. The new website includes robust databases for conducting historical and genealogical research in the ADAH’s extensive archival collections. Those resources are curated by ADAH staff and include an events calendar for at-a-glance information about ADAH programs, a new database of retention schedules and other helpful resources on records management for state and local government offices.

You can read more and also watch a video at: https://bit.ly/3A1pS5D.

In partnership with the Midway Museum, the Digital Library of Georgia has just made the Julia R. King Collection available online.

King (1863–1952) was a descendant of the Roswell King (1765–1844) family of Georgia plantation owners and managers who owned land, property, and enslaved people across Georgia dating back to the 1700s.

The collection includes essential documents related to slavery, including estate appraisals and inventories that include the first names of enslaved African Americans. It will be of particular interest to those doing family research on people enslaved in Liberty County, Georgia.

You can read more in an article by Mandy Mastrovita published in the Digital Library of Georgia web site at: https://blog.dlg.galileo.usg.edu/?p=8253

The Memory Project, an initiative of Historica Canada, gives veterans and current Canadian Forces members the opportunity to share their stories of military service through its online archive and volunteer speakers bureau.

This toolkit has been created to help you through the steps of creating an oral history podcast: how to conduct research, how to interview subjects, and how to incorporate an interview into a script that tells a story. It introduces activities, in-person or virtual, that guide students in planning their own podcast episodes. The toolkit focuses on interviewing a Memory Project speaker and incorporating their story into a podcast, and provides opportunities to showcase oral history as a valuable primary source.

You can access The Memory Project at: https://fb.historicacanada.ca/education/english/how-to-make-an-oral-history-podcast/.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

Residents of southwest Missouri with photographs, letters, pamphlets and other artifacts related to African-American history are wanted.

The State Historical Society of Missouri put out a call for individuals to bring the personal and family items to a free digitization event.

The free event is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20 at the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri. It is located 65 miles west of Springfield in Newton County.

Residents of Newton, Jasper, McDonald, Barry, Barton and Dade counties — and others living in the southwest part of the state — are invited.

“By participating, residents will not only be advised on the best practices for protecting these materials, but also offered the opportunity to digitize and preserve them as part of the larger African American Heritage in the Ozarks Project,” said Sean Rost, oral historian and project lead, in a news release.

Families will be able to submit their items to be digitized, and preserved, and they will also receive complimentary copies of their digital files. They will also be asked to record an interview with an oral historian about their items, community history and genealogy.

You can read more in an article written by Claudette Riley and published in the Springfield News-Leader web site at: https://bit.ly/3AlubtX.

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

Ah, the glamorous life: flying from city to city, giving presentations before genealogy conferences and society meetings. How would you like to do the same?

First of all, I'll warn you there isn't much glamour in genealogy public speaking. Indeed, the busiest and most popular speakers on the genealogy circuit usually grow weary of a life of hotels, living out of suitcases, interminable hours spent in airports, and a constant diet of "rubber chicken and peas" at conference banquets. Going through airport security for the eighth time in one month also isn't fun. Glamour? Maybe not.

Next, the money isn't so good except for a handful of top-notch superstars who have been doing this for years. The high-paid experts are usually seasoned public speakers and writers and probably professional genealogy researchers as well. Some of them even have television experience. As a beginner, you won't see those big paychecks for a long time.

The constant travel can get you down as well. Sometimes you forget where you are or where you are going. I used to do more speaking than I do now and was on the road two or three times a month. More than once I woke up in a hotel room in the early morning hours and briefly wondered, "Where am I?"

One day I walked up to the ticket counter at the local airport, and the lady behind the desk asked innocently, "Where are you flying to today?" I stammered for a bit and then realized that I couldn't remember! Luckily, a printed itinerary in my jacket pocket rescued me. At that moment, I decided I was traveling too much. I travel less these days.

Despite the drawbacks, public speaking also provides a lot of gratification. Providing instruction or expertise to those who are eager to learn what you can offer is a rewarding experience. I suspect teachers are familiar with those feelings. Public speakers enjoy the same “rush” of doing the job well. I suspect that few others can say the same.

I thought I would share a few of my experiences and a lot of my observations of other genealogy speakers.

How to Get Started

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/12881952.

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.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

NOTE: This article has nothing to do with genealogy. If you are looking for genealogy-related information, I suggest you skip this article. However, if you use Meta.com (previously known as Facebook.com), you might want to know the company is tracking you (which shouldn't surprise anyone as the company has been tracking its users for years) and your data is secretly being used for nefarious purposes. I suggest that all Meta.com (previously known as Facebook.com) users should be aware of the true purpose of the company:

According to an article in the news9live.com web site, Meta is injecting code into external sites visited via Facebook and Instagram. Meta is able to track every single interaction with external websites, including inputs like passwords and addresses, to every single tap.

Invasion of user privacy isn't a new charge for Meta or its products like Facebook and Instagram. An ex-Google engineer has now made damning accusation about the company's practices via a new research. Privacy researcher Felix Krause claims that Meta is stalking users by rewriting scripts of websites visited by users, via its apps or platforms. Krause, who developed a tool acquired by Google, claims that this activity allows the company to track a user, once they click a link on any of its platform. This allegedly lets the company track every single interaction with external websites, including inputs like passwords and addresses, to every single tap.

You can read the full report at: https://bit.ly/3BXMZAz.

I love e-books: books and other publications that are available in electronic format instead of on paper. I have several hundred such books stored on my desktop and laptop computers and many on an Amazon Kindle, including newspapers, books downloaded from Google Books, many blogs, and more. I read the Wall Street Journal every day on an Amazon Kindle. I almost never print anything these days; I prefer to read text on a computer screen or on the Kindle or on a normal computer.

Making the switch from printed documents to an on-screen display of the same information is a significant psychological adjustment. For a while, it felt "funny" to read books, newspapers and newsletters on a computer screen. The adjustment was easier on the Amazon Kindle as its "e-paper" display is much closer to printed paper. Once I became accustomed to reading things on-screen, I found the process to be easier than ever. Searches are usually easier since many digital documents and ebooks allow one to quickly search for any word or phrase. Just try doing that in a book printed on paper! Of course, e-books are also cheaper and eco-friendly; I no longer consume as much paper and laser printer toner as I used to.

I suspect that the economics of publishing books on paper will soon mean the end of paper-based genealogy books, as well as all sorts of other books and newspapers. A printed book costs a lot more to publish than an e-book. Consumers and publishers alike will appreciate the savings available when publishing electronically.

Reading documents on a computer screen is good, but the use of a portable reader with "e-paper" is much better. For instance, use of an Amazon Kindle simplifies the process. Computerworld has a new article that takes a look at the development and the future of e-paper. E-paper is rapidly becoming its own industry.

The article notes some of the current limitations of the technology and looks ahead to a few upcoming ideas. 

You can read "The Future of E-Paper" in Computerworld at https://www.computerworld.com/article/2552045/the-future-of-e-paper.html.

You can read more about the Amazon Kindle at: https://bit.ly/3BYtuYC.

What I Use

I have to admit that I prefer to using my Chromebook to read Kindle formatted ebooks. The Chromebook has a larger screen versus a Kindle e-reader and operates in full color. It is easy to read Kindle ebooks on Windows, Macintosh, Chromebooks, and even in a web browser. To read Kindle ebooks on your present computer, go to the App Store for your computer and search for “Kindle.” That will quickly show the FREE Kindle app designed for your computer. Download and install that app and you now have the (better) equivalent of a Kindle in your present computer.

If you prefer, you can simply find a Kindle ebook of interest in Amazon, then click on “Deliver to” and then select “Cloud reader.” The launch your favorite web browser to read it. No new hardware is required! It is also cheaper (as you do not need to purchase a Kindle).

The following announcement was written by the organizers of the FHF REALLY USEFUL Family History Show:

The premier online family history event operated by family historians for family historians!

The 2022 virtual REALLY USEFUL Family History Show takes place on evening of Friday 11^th and all day on Saturday November. Friday evening will see family history societies available for all comers – no ticket required: come and ask questions of those local experts with founts of knowledge. Show tickets are selling fast and provide full access to all areas including extended time to immerse yourself in the expert presentations plus a raft of practical workshops are being announced over the coming weeks.

Today, the keynote speakers are announced:

Friday 11^th at 7pm Diahan Southard is a leading voice for consumer DNA testing from her position as founder of Your DNA Guide.

Connecting Your DNA Matches

While it is possible to analyse your DNA matches one at a time to determine how you are related, there is much accomplished by first identifying the connections between those on your match list, organising those matches, and then working together to determine how you are related to each other. Learn the tips and tricks to this powerful method of match analysis.

Saturday 12^th at 10.15am Paul Nixon has a keen interest in military history and in particular the British Army and its campaigns between 1850 and 1920.

British Army Detective – Piecing Together the Jigsaw

Making the most of what scant information survives in order to build a fuller picture of service is like a jigsaw. This presentation includes a deep dive into regimental numbers and what these can tell us. This presentation is ideal for beginners and seasoned researchers alike.

Buy your ticket today! www.fhf-reallyuseful.com/full-ticket-for-november-2022-show

Review the last show and watch for details of the upcoming event: www.fhf-reallyuseful.com