Abrams Genealogy Seminar at the Library of Michigan

The Library of Michigan is pleased to announce that the 2009 Abrams Genealogy Seminar will take place on Friday and Saturday, July 17-18 at the Michigan Library & Historical Center in Lansing.

This fourth annual Library of Michigan signature event represents a unique opportunity for researchers to spend two full days at the Library utilizing our vast array of genealogy resources and learning about specific topics of interest including cemetery research, Michigan death records, online research for the British Isles, New England area research and much more.

A highlight of the seminar will be a keynote address, co-sponsored by the Eaton County Genealogical Society, featuring Stephen Morse, famous for his outstanding One-Step Webpages at stephenmorse.org. These online tools are an invaluable resource for genealogists for topics as diverse as Ellis Island ship lists, U.S., Canadian, and British census records, and even calendar conversions and language translation.

As in previous years, the Abrams Seminar will include a library and archives research track, in which facilities with extensive genealogical and historical holdings will outline their collections. Participating libraries and archives include the Library of Michigan, the Archives of Michigan, the Burton Historical Collection at Detroit Public Library, the Capital Area District Library in Lansing and the Allen County (Ind.) Public Library.

The schedule for the seminar is as follows:

Friday, July 17

12:30 - 1 p.m.

A. Archives of Michigan Tour

1:15 - 1:45 p.m.

B. Library of Michigan Tour

2 - 3 p.m.

D. Researching Your Female Ancestors

- Edwina Morgan, Library of Michigan

E. Michigan Biographical Index

- James N. Jackson, Professional Researcher

F. Genealogical Research at the Library of Michigan

- Randy Riley, Library of Michigan

3:15 - 4:15 p.m.

F. Cemetery Records: Dying to Get in There!

- Karen Krugman, Professional Researcher

G. The Ultimate Michigan Civil War Resource

- Mark Harvey, Archives of Michigan

H. Resources from the Forest Parke Library & Archives Collection

- David Votta, Capital Area District Library, Lansing

Saturday, July 18

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

I. Welcome & keynote address: One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools

- Stephen Morse

11:30 a.m. - noon

J. Presentation of the Carole Callard Genealogy Appreciation Award

Noon - 1 p.m.

Lunch

1 - 2 p.m.

K. One-Step Webpages: A Hodgepodge of Lesser-Known Gems

- Stephen Morse

2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

L. Casting the "Net" Over Your British Isles Ancestors

- Richard M. Doherty, Professional Researcher

M. Genealogy 2.0: Social Networking and Family History

- Gloriane Peck, Library of Michigan

N. Treasures for Researchers at the Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne

- Curt Witcher, Allen County Public Library

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

O. Researching Your New England Ancestors

- Charles Hagler, Library of Michigan

P. Seeking Michigan Death Records? A New Digitization Project

- Kris Rzepczynski, Library of Michigan

Q. Research at the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library

- Mark Bowden, Detroit Public Library

Additional information and the registration form are online. Questions? Please contact the Library at (517) 373-1300 or librarian@michigan.gov.

New Hours at the Library of Michigan

New Public Hours at the Library of Michigan

The Library of Michigan's has new hours of operation starting Tuesday, July 7. The change of hours provides a more consistent schedule of hours of operation than the library was previously open. The changes will also help the facility to control overall costs.

Library hours will be:

• Main Library 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday
• Law Library: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
• Rare Book Room: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (other hours by appointment)
• Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

If you have questions, e-mail the Library of Michigan at librarian@michigan.gov or call (517) 373-1300.

Carnival of Genealogy, 75th Edition

The 75th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is posted! Colleen has done a terrific job hosting this holiday edition of the COG. I can't think of a better way to start off your Fourth of July holiday celebrations than by taking some time to read about our forefathers and mothers and how they contributed to and celebrated our nation's independence. So before you light up your sparklers or roast marshmallows for your smores, be sure and check out the COG!

Now it's time for a Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: How I spent my summer vacation... a favorite summer memory from your youth. Tell us what summers were like when you were a wee tad pole. Did you vacation with family? Go to a youth camp? Hang out at the local park? Watch fireworks? Catch fireflies? Share those lazy, hazy, crazy, days of summers past with us! Deadline for submissions is July 15, 2009.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using the carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blogcarnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Sending a big THANK YOU to Colleen for hosting the COG! Much appreciated!!! Didn't she do a great job?!

And thanks for the poster, fM!