On Tuesday (Sept. 17), the Full Harvest Moon will experience a partial lunar eclipse that will be visible for North and South America (except for Alaska), Europe, most of Africa, western Asia, and parts of Antarctica. This eclipse will take place during a "supermoon," which will make the moon appear slightly larger in the night sky. This occurs when the moon is slightly closer to Earth, which happens because the moon's orbit is slightly elliptical, or oval shaped.

If you can't watch the eclipse in person for any reason, there are luckily a number of livestreams available online for you to take in the Super Harvest Moon lunar eclipse.

Lunar eclipses occur when the sun, Earth and the moon are lined up so that Earth casts its shadow on our natural satellite. This lunar eclipse will be only a slight one, with just the top 8.7% of the moon covered by the darkest part of Earth's shadow. Still, a lunar eclipse is a celestial spectacle worth watching any time it occurs.

For the Eastern time zone of the U.S., the eclipse will begin around 8:40 p.m. EDT on Sept. 17 and will peak around 10:44 p.m. EDT. Europe and Africa, meanwhile, will see the eclipse during the pre-dawn hours on Sept. 18. 

For London, the eclipse will appear greatest around 3:45 a.m. BST on Sept. 18.

Livestreams of the partial lunar eclipse of the Super Harvest Moon are available at: https://www.space.com/super-harvest-moon-lunar-eclipse-how-to-watch.

The following is an announcement written by Findmypast:

There are over 20,000 parish and workhouse records for you to explore this week.

Our collection of English birth, marriage and death (BMD) records grew this Findmypast Friday. We added almost 10,000 BMDs for Leicestershire spanning a century, as well as 395 baptism, marriage and burial records for Rutland in the East Midlands. 

There are also 11,213 new Lincolnshire workhouse records for you to explore - these fascinating transcriptions and images cover 64 years.

From records to newspapers, read on to see everything that we've added this week.

Lincolnshire, Workhouse Guardians' Minutes

This week's biggest update consists of 11,213 workhouse records from the English county of Lincolnshire.

These new additions cover the years 1837 to 1901, so may help to shed light on the lives of your 19th-century ancestors.

Leicestershire baptism, marriage and death records

There are also 9,595 Leicestershire parish records for you to discover. 

These new additions span 100 years of England's history.

Rutland baptism, marriage and burial records

Rounding off this week's trio of updates we have new baptism, marriage and burial records from the ceremonial county of Rutland.

Rutland baptism record from 1924.

There are both images and transcriptions available for these 395 new records.

New pages from the Lancashire coast

A brand new Blackpool title - the West Lancashire Evening Gazette - has joined our newspaper archive this week. 

West Lancashire Evening Gazette, 28 April 1986.

We also updated 20 existing publications, with a total of 289,279 exciting new pages added.

Here's everything we added this Findmypast Friday: 

New titles:

• West Lancashire Evening Gazette, 1983, 1985-1986, 1993-1998, 2001-2003

Updated titles: 

• Belper News, 1912, 1990, 1997-1998, 2000-2003
• Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, 1936-1938, 1970-1971, 1996-1997, 1999
• Bicester Review, 1987, 1993
• Bridlington Free Press, 1997, 2002
• Buxton Advertiser, 1858, 1860, 1894, 1968, 1990, 1997-1998, 2000-2003
• Cycling, 1920
• Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser, 1897
• Halifax Evening Courier, 1996
• Harrogate Advertiser and Weekly List of the Visitors, 1997
• Hucknall Dispatch, 2001
• Lancing Herald, 1993, 1998
• Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette, 1998
• Littlehampton Gazette, 1998-1999
• Melton Mowbray Times and Vale of Belvoir Gazette, 1897, 1966-1968, 1970
• Morecambe Visitor, 1896, 1899
• Newton and Earlestown Guardian, 1973-1978
• Ripley and Heanor News and Ilkeston Division Free Press, 1889, 1970-1971, 1974, 1992, 1999, 2002-2003
• South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times, 1981
• Todmorden & District News, 1992-1994, 1996
• Whitby Gazette, 1993, 1997

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

I have written often about the advantages of storing some of your backups off-site in "the cloud." Computer experts will tell you that everyone needs to make backups, and at least one copy of each backup needs to be stored "off site" where it is safe from local disasters such as house fires, burst water pipes, and similar in-home disasters. Storing some of your backups on BackBlaze, Carbonite, Dropbox, Amazon S3, SugarSync, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or other backup services is a great idea. However, most of these services provide only a limited amount of free storage space in their cloud (typically 2 to 5 gigabytes) and then charge you if you need more space. If you have a lot of data to back up, the charges can add up quickly. There is a cheaper method of accomplishing the same thing: you create your own off-site backup servers. Luckily, this is easy to do and, with a few pointers, is rather inexpensive. This article will supply those pointers.

Another advantage of this type of backup is that it lets you access your backed up files from anywhere you have an Internet connection. If you need a file from home, you can connect to the Internet from the office, from a hotel room, or from most any public library and retrieve whatever you need from your own server. You can even retrieve files by using an iPhone or an Android smartphone. Likewise, you can also save newly-created files from your laptop to your server in the cloud so that those files are available in the future from anyplace you can access the Internet. If you own multiple computers, you can back up all of them.

Actually, there are several methods of creating your own server(s) in the cloud. Today, I will focus on one method that is simple to accomplish at low expense by anyone with modest technical skills. If you already have an old computer sitting in a closet and gathering dust, the price for creating your own cloud-based server with nearly infinite storage space can be surprisingly low although probably not free. 

First, let's explore the possibilities of the words, "off site." With the commercial backup services, we think of off-site as being in a data center in some other part of the country, perhaps in a huge room full of servers, attended by a staff of system professionals. Indeed, that is a good scenario for off-site backups, but it is not the only possible method.

"Off site" could mean a computer or server located in your next door neighbor's house, a friend's house, a relative's house, or perhaps your own office across town. To make backups of your computer(s) at the office, maybe all you need is a "server" in your home. Off site can mean "just a short distance away." However, I would generally recommend using a server some distance away as one hurricane or one  fire can destroy everything in a wide path. Ideally, your remote server in the cloud should be well outside the path of any possible disasters that could affect your normal locations. 

Next, what is the definition of a "server?" Most computer professionals will tell you that a server is a computer box designed especially for the task, perhaps rack mounted, with dual power supplies, remote console capabilities so that you can operate it from many miles away, and more. Indeed, the servers in most professional data centers fit this description. 

However, if your primary purpose is to simply store files for later retrieval, you can use a very simple "server." In fact, it doesn't have to be a box designed for that purpose at all. Did you purchase a new computer in the past two or three years? If so, the old PC that was replaced might now be gathering dust and can be repurposed as a "server." If not, another possibility is to buy a used computer at a garage sale for a few dollars. You won't need anything fancy. A six- or eight-year-old computer will work well.

I would never use an old PC as my ONLY backup in any one location. However, if you are making multiple backups and are storing them in multiple locations, an old PC can easily serve as one of the locations. The old PC can be converted into a server for little expense. If that one server later suffers a hardware problem and dies, who cares? You have other copies stored in other locations. You simply restore from one of your other backup copies. Having multiple backups stored in multiple locations keeps you safe from most any possible disaster.

You don't need redundant power supplies, super high speed processors, or any of that fancy stuff. Neither will you need a big, expensive monitor. In fact, the monitor can be left powered off most of the time. You will need some large disk drives, but I'll describe a low-cost, simple solution for that later.

This solution works well for personal use or for business. If your office has five or ten computers, you can back up all of them to this low-cost, off-site server. You can even (optionally) share files with your friends or co-workers. 

Your "server" should run Windows, Windows Server, or Macintosh OS (most any version released in the past 5 or 6 years). You will also need a modest amount of memory. The exact amount of required memory will vary, depending upon which version of Windows or Macintosh you are using. If your re-purposed "server" runs its present operating system at a reasonable speed, it already has enough memory to be a server.

Next, you will need to boot up the old computer and uninstall all the superfluous programs you can find. The exact list isn't critical; just get rid of the junk and any other stuff you won't need. With Windows, this step will also speed up the system somewhat. 

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/13406607 A Plus Edition password is required to access that article.)

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. 

When researchers type a query into Bowdoin's library search bar now, they are presented with a trove of information not just from the linked libraries of Bowdoin, Bates, and Colby Colleges, but also from Special Collections, the Museum of Art, and the Arctic Museum.

The College's library has for many years shared a search feature with Bates and Colby, allowing patrons to research sources and borrow books from all three institutions. Extending this network to also include the College's museums has been a long-held dream of Bowdoin's administration.

Kat Stefko recalled that one of her first work meetings, held soon after she started her new job in 2015 as director of the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, was a discussion about sharing technology across the College's cultural institutions.

At the time, however, Special Collections was in the “embryonic stage” of digitizing its assets and making them available online, she said. “So the idea of searching our collections and these other repositories was very farfetched. But it was a nice aspiration. The desire never went away.”

Part of the problem back then was that the Library technology was not up to the task of connecting different collections with mismatched software.

The exterior of the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies, which houses the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum.

But technology has finally caught up to the College's ambitions. In the summer of 2023, the Library made a major update to its catalog, replacing a system it had used for more than twenty years. One of the benefits of new system, called Compass, is its power to get databases to talk to one another.

The beauty of the new tool is that it greatly increases “discoverability,” the chances of a serendipitous stumble onto a surprising resource while looking for something else.

“With the new system, that initial idea of discoverability through a single system became more viable because the technology has improved so much,” Stefko said. “So what had been a mountainous project back in 2015 actually became a doable technological project in our new environment.”

This summer, Senior Interactive Developer David Francis and Systems Librarian Summer Unsinnworked together to start the information flowing.

"I'm always looking for things that I think would be most interesting for someone outside of the fine arts to come across that they could use for research,” Francis said. “So, for example, someone doing research on painted scrolls doing a search in the Library could discover real examples in the Museum of Art collection that they could reference and study."

Aerial view of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in the Walker Art Building.

And a student trying to find books or articles about Picasso for an art history paper might be delighted to find that “the Museum of Art has sixteen Picassos,” Unsinn said, which they can then make an appointment to see in person.

In the process of getting Compass to work well, Unsinn, too, made her own serendipitous stumbles. “It was a fun project to work on because it opened my eyes to a lot of neat things that the museums have,” she said.

One of her favorite findings was a unique collection of cards circa 1900-1910 for Arctic adventurers. “The one that really cracked me up was a set of collectible cigarette cards for polar explorers. I just found that in the process of troubleshooting.”

Anne Collins Goodyear, codirector of the Museum of Art, said the new integrated search tool opens up an exciting new era, “one in which information about the College’s broad range of cultural resources—from works of scholarship and literature to works of art—can be made even more easily accessible to a broad community of researchers on campus and beyond. 

It helps bring together bodies of knowledge and forms of expression from many different disciplines and historical eras and will undoubtedly help to provide the foundation for many new forms of inquiry and collaboration.”  

TRYING OUT THE NEW SEARCH TOOL

Students and other researchers using the Compass tool can set many filters to narrow their searches. But keeping a search broad may yield more of those “stumble-upon moments,” as Unsinn calls them.

A search for Arctic explorer Robert Peary in the Compass toolbar, for instance, generates 1,323 results (although this number could change if more resources are added to the museums or libraries—the catalogs are updated every day). 

The top item that comes up is Special Collections' Robert Edwin Peary collection. The next is Susan Kaplan and Genevieve LeMoine's 2019 book, Peary's Arctic Quest: Untold Stories from Robert E. Peary's North Pole Expeditions, which is available online or can be checked out of the Bowdoin Library. Following this is a peer-reviewed article, also available online. Then a series of old photos from Peary's northern travels are listed. 

Perhaps you're intrigued by the two items listed under the Museum of Art. Narrow the parameters to view these and you will see information about a bronze bust of a hirsute Peary, made by William Ordway Partridge in 1899, and a 1911 painting of him in a crisp white Navy uniform, by Benjamin West Clinedinst.

The following is an announcement written by the Society of Genealogists (in London:)

What is All About That Place?

A unique free learning event brought to you by the Society of Genealogists, the Society for One Place Studies, British Association for Local History and Genealogy Stories.

Running over 10 days from Friday 27 September to Sunday 6th October, All About That Place is packed with 140 recorded 10-minute talks on genealogy and local history. You'll learn research techniques, social history, tools, websites, archives, record keeping tips, ways of creating and sharing your findings... and much, much more!

Plus, throughout the event, you'll be supported in putting your learning into action by completing challenge activities.

https://www.sog.org.uk/all-about-that-place-2024/

A genealogy and probate research firm will appear on a newly launched YouTube channel to explore the world of family history and estate inheritance.

London-based Fraser and Fraser will feature on Probate TV’s series “Lineage,” a series of short case studies navigating complex probate cases, uncovering long-lost family members, and reuniting heirs with their rightful inheritance.

The series is fronted by case workers who present real-world scenarios, with the episode exploring how they deal with practical, and legal challenges of identifying families, and distribute the complex estates presented by the case.

In episode one, Case Worker Shannon Freeman is tasked with finding the beneficiaries of the estate of a deceased who died intestate. His care home, where he was resident for some years before his death, could shed little light on his history and the episode takes viewers through the process of establishing who his parents were, and any siblings who would be the beneficiary of his estate. It is later revealed the family were not even aware of the existence of the deceased.

“‘Lineage’ offers a glimpse into the world of genealogy and probate research.”

says Neil Fraser, Partner at Fraser and Fraser

“It’s a project we’re delighted to be part of. Probate research is our passion, we are excited to share our knowledge and experience with viewers. Each case presents unique challenges and rewards, and we look forward to revealing the fascinating stories behind our investigations.”

In a series of ‘shorts’ on the site, Probate TV also reaches out to the community of subscribers asking for help locating the beneficiaries of unclaimed estates. A new episode of Lineage will be published every month with the first three episodes available to watch now on Probate TV’s YouTube channel; https://www.youtube.com/@ProbateTV.

The literary archive of award-winning writer Jackie Kay has been acquired by the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The archive comprises 34 boxes of material that offer an insight into the life and writing of Kay, who was the Makar (National Poet for Scotland) from 2016 to 2021.

The material includes personal letters, manuscripts of poems, novels, short stories, plays, diaries and press articles.

Schoolbooks and university writing, early essays, family papers, notebooks, photographs, audio cassettes, prizes, awards and honours are also included.

National librarian Amina Shah welcomed Kay to the facility on Thursday morning, acknowledging the poet and novelist as one of Scotland’s most acclaimed cultural figures.

You can read more in an article by Craig Williams published in The Herald web site at: https://shorturl.at/GKvT.

Google Search results will now directly link to The Internet Archive to add historical context for the links in your results.

Google Search makes it easy to find information, but occasionally you need historical context for a page that may have been recently updated. That was previously possible to a certain extent through cached pages in Search, but that functionality was removed earlier this year.

Starting today, though, Google Search will make it possible to see a whole lot more historical context for a link.

Google has partnered with The Internet Archive, a non-profit research library that, in part, stores and preserves massive portions of the web to be easily referenced later. This is done through the “Wayback Machine” which can show a website or specific page as it existed on a previous date. 

Through this new partnership, Google will link directly to The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine for pages that you find in Search.

Google says in a statement to 9to5Google:

We know that many people, including those in the research community, value being able to see previous versions of webpages when available. That’s why we’ve added links to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to our ‘About this page’ feature, to give people quick context and make this helpful information easily accessible through Search.

In a post regarding the announcement, The Internet Archive celebrates that these results are now “just a click away” in Google Search and adds that this partnership “underscores the importance of web archiving.”

To access The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine links through Google Search you’ll need to click the three-dots menu button that appears alongside all search results and then tap on “More about this page.”

This new feature is still actively rolling out, but Google was able to provide an image to show what the integration looks like.

You can read more in an article by Ben Schoon published in the 9to5google web site at: https://9to5google.com/2024/09/11/google-search-internet-archive-wayback-machine/.

The following is a press release issued by Alabama Public Radio:

Invisible Histories in Birmingham has launched a new initiative called the Memory Keeper project, designed to empower individuals and organizations to conduct, record, and document oral histories that amplify the voices of the LGBTQ community.

Starting this year, the project will focus on community-based participants, who will be selected to attend three training sessions. These participants, known as Memory Keepers, will be responsible for gathering at least three oral histories from their own communities over the course of a year.

“We wanted to find ways to connect more with the community, so we developed the Memory Keeper project as a way to provide training for people in the various communities that they work in on how to do good oral histories,” said Megan Sullivan, co-executive director of Invisible Histories. “We're letting communities tell their own stories, instead of us coming in and trying to do them for them.”

The oral histories collected by the Memory Keepers will be preserved in the Invisible Histories archive. This initiative comes after recent shutdown of diversity, equity, and inclusion departments at Alabama public institutions and universities following the introduction of SB129.

“We can't depend on us being included in mainstream history, so we have to come up with new and also old ways of retelling our stories,” said Sullivan.

In addition to the Memory Keeper project, Invisible Histories is also offering to archive materials related to LGBTQ, diversity, and multicultural centers. This effort is in response to concerns from state employees who fear these materials could be seized or destroyed following the bans.

“History is powerful. It empowers people. You learn about where you've been, and so to organize, to fight back, becomes a lot easier when you've got generations of people at your back. I think [achieving] it's a direct threat to people who would like to silence progress and to harm marginalized communities, to have this history not just existing, but thriving and being shared,” said Sullivan.

To qualify for to be a Memory Keeper for Invisible Histories, applicants must be a community leader, member organizer, activist, or culture maker in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia or the Florida Panhandle. Applicants must also be willing to conduct a year long project to preserve three local oral histories. Applications to become a Memory Keeper closes on September 22. Applicants will be notified about their status by September 30.

23andMe co-founder and chief executive Anne Wojcicki would be open to considering third-party takeover proposals for the company, a regulatory filing, opens new tab showed on Wednesday.

The genetic testing firm's shares were up 2.8% at $0.31 in extended trade.

In July, Wojcicki, who has been trying to take the company private, proposed to acquire all outstanding shares of 23andMe not owned by her or her affiliates for $0.40 per share.

The filing also said the CEO continues to evaluate and negotiate a deal.

A special committee formed by the company rejected Wojcicki's previous proposal, deeming it insufficient and not in the best interest of the non-affiliated shareholders.

Other alternatives will be pursued to maximize value for shareholders, in the absence of a revised offer, the committee said last month.

23andMe, best known for its saliva-based test kits that offer users a glimpse into their genetic ancestry, went public in 2021.

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