[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 12 Nov 2016, Provo

2016-11-03

Journalists and newsletter editors, please run this as a news item and/or in your calendar of events. For a shorter version please show the main speaker and topic, give the UVTAGG websites, and say there are classes at all levels of genealogy.  If you need further information, please email me.  Thanks.

Don Snow -- snowd@math.byu.edu 

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 12 Nov 2016, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group) will be on Saturday, 12 Nov 2016, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo. The main presentation at this month's meeting will be by Michael J. Hall on HOW THE CHIEF GENEALOGICAL OFFICER AND DEPUTIES AFFECT ALL OF FAMILYSEARCH.  Michael J. Hall, has a BS in Anthropology from Brigham Young University.  He is a US Marine and lives in Orem, Utah with his wife.  They have four married children and several grandchildren.  He has worked in the Family History Department of the LDS Church for the past thirty-two years in many positions, including a United States Reference Consultant, Supervisor of the Library Acquisitions Unit, Manager of Family Records Extraction Program, Digital Book Scanning Program Manager, Strategic Relations Manager, and is currently the Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer working with Libraries, Archives, and Historic and Genealogical Societies worldwide.  Michael is the past Chair of the Genealogy committee for the American Library Association (ALA), and past Chair of the Genealogy and Local History section for the International Federation of Library Associations an Institutions (IFLA).  He was previously Director at Large for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) board; Vendor Chair for the 2005 FGS Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah; and the 2009 FGS Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.  He is also an active member of the Association of Portuguese Genealogy (Lisbon, Portugal), National Genealogical Society (NGS), New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYGBS), and various other state and local genealogical societies.  His research includes his Portuguese-American ancestry, Azores Islands, and military records.  His favorite pastime is being with his family and preparing for and racing in triathlons.

The following classes are scheduled after the main presentation this month.  For last minute changes and additions see the UVTAGG website and blog.

(1)  Michael J. Hall, Q&A on the FamilySearch Chief Genealogical Officer and FamilySearch

(2)  Robert Taylor, The Family History Guide's New Beta Site Goes Live!

(3)  Don Engstrom & John Blake, Ask An Expert (Personal Help)

(4)  D. Michael Hansen, Video from last month's main presentation: FamilySearch Book Scanning

(5)  Gaylon Findlay, Ancestral Quest

(6)  Renee Zamora, RootsMagic

The UVTAGG meetings have something for everyone, no matter what their level of family history expertise.  This includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, long-time genealogists, and ward family history consultants.  This is the regular second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually 70-80 people attending the monthly meetings, many of whom are family history consultants.  Since UVTAGG doesn't meet in December, this will be the last meeting until the second Saturday in January 2017.  You can join or renew your membership at this meeting or on the website.

Information about the Group, meeting location, current and past presentations, classes, and class notes are available on their website  http://uvtagg.org  and the press release blog  http://blog.uvtagg.org .  On the blog you can subscribe to receive emails of the press releases when they are posted the week before the meetings.  The officers are Gerhard Ruf, President; Laurie Castillo, 1st VP; Don Snow, 2nd VP; Eileen Phelps, Newsletter Editor; Don Engstrom and Rayanne Melick, Membership and Finances; Bruce Merrill and Marie Andersen, DVD Library; and Chris Stevenson, Rick Klemetson, Rick Wightman, and Brent Nelson, Webmasters.  Several of these will be at the meeting to answer questions, help with membership, distribute the current issue of the monthly newsletter TAGGology, and check out and sell to members of the Group DVDs of past presentations and classes.  Membership includes many benefits including being able to purchase the inexpensive presentation and class DVDs, receiving the monthly newsletter TAGGology (and via email, if requested), and access to many genealogy resources through the UVTAGG's membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  The dues for regular membership with hard copy TAGGologies are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and for online membership with email TAGGologies are only $10.  Gift memberships and DVDs make great presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and family history consultants.  See more information and how to join the group on the websites above.  You can also contact President Gerhard Ruf at  pres@uvtagg.org  (801-225-6106), or 1st VP Laurie Castillo at  gengal@comcast.net , or 2nd VP Don Snow at  snowd@math.byu.edu .

Don Snow, 2nd VP of Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group (UVTAGG), snowd@math.byu.edu 

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