[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 11 Nov 2017, Provo

2017-11-03
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, 11 Nov 2017, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group) will be on Saturday, 11 Nov 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is the regular 2nd-Saturday-of-the-month meeting.  The main presentation will be by Cathrine McIntyre on USING THE MOUNTAIN WEST DIGITAL LIBRARY AND THE DIGITAL PUBLIC LIBRARY OF AMERICA FOR GENEALOGY RESEARCH.  The Digital Public Library of America is attempting to list all digitized books from all libraries and The Mountain West Digital Library is attempting to list all digital collections in the Mountain West.  Catherine McIntyre is the University Archivist and Digitization Librarian at Fulton Library & George Sutherland Archives at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.  She started as a Reference Librarian there in 1997 and then created the school’s first archive and digitization program in 2004.  She hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Utah and a Masters of Library Science degree from BYU.  Her love of travel is what got her interested in history and, after receiving her BA degree, she taught high school for three years.  When she decided she would go back to school for an advanced degree, the BYU Library Science program attracted her, since she was interested in so many topics, and she liked the idea of working with college-age students and faculty.

After the main presentation, the following classes are currently scheduled this month.  See the UVTAGG website and blog (URL's below) for last minute changes and additions.

(1)  Catherine McIntyre, Q&A on DIGITAL LIBRARIES
(2)  Jerry Castillo, PROTECTING YOUR COMPUTER 2017
(3)  Laurie Castillo, FAMILY HISTORY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
(4)  Don Engstrom, John Blake, and Lee Cox, ASK AN EXPERT (Personal Help)
(5)  Video of last month's main presentation, Kory Meyerink, THE BEST WEBSITES FOR YOUR RESEARCH THAT YOU ARE NOT USING
(6)  Gaylon Findlay, ANCESTRAL QUEST

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  This will be the last meeting of 2017, since the group doesn't meet during December.  The meetings have something for all levels of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and temple and family history consultants.  The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually 60-70 people attending the monthly meetings, many of whom are temple and family history consultants.  The Group is experimenting with live-streaming of the meetings and classes using Facebook.  If you can't attend in person, see the link on the webpage.  You can join or renew your membership at the meeting or on the website  http://uvtagg.org  where there is also information about the meeting location, current and past presentations, classes, and class notes.  On the press release blog  http://blog.uvtagg.org  is a place to 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, Membership; Rayanne Melick, Finances; Bruce Merrill and Marie Andersen, Video Library; and Rick Wightman, Chris Stevenson, Brent Nelson, and Rick Klemetson, Webmasters.  Several of these will be at the meeting to answer questions, help with membership, distribute TAGGology, the monthly newsletter, and check out or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of past main presentations and classes.  Members receive TAGGology and have access to many genealogy resources through the UVTAGG's membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  Gift memberships and DVDs make good presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and temple and family history consultants.  Volunteers who help with the organization get membership for reduced rates.  For further information 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

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 14 Oct 2017, Provo

2017-10-04
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, 14 Oct 2017, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group) will be on Saturday, 14 Oct 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is the regular 2nd-Saturday-of-the-month meeting.  The main presentation will be by Kory L. Meyerink on THE BEST WEBSITES FOR YOUR RESEARCH THAT YOU PROBABLY AREN'T USING.  This will be a discussion of many helpful websites for family history research for genealogy, locations, types of records, finding aids, search engines, and more.  Kory L. Meyerink, AG (Accredited Genealogist) and FUGA (Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association), has been involved in nearly every aspect of genealogy and family history for the past 40 years.  He started as a record searcher while attending Brigham Young University where he received an Associate Degree in Family and Local History, as well as a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology.  He later completed a Masters of Library and Information Science Degree.  His fluency in German came from spending two years in Germany and it helps in his professional work.  He is accredited in four areas of genealogy research:  Germany, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England U.S., specializing in tracing the origins of German and Dutch immigrants.  He also served on the staff of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City as a reference consultant and later was the editor and coordinator of the Library’s publications.  In this position he developed instructional and reference material for the thousands of Family History Centers.  He also served as the primary content consultant for the PBS Ancestors television series.  In his work developing electronic products for Infobases, Kory’s tasks included serving as product manager for the LDS Family History Suite CD and he also developed the largest genealogical gazetteer and genealogical bibliography available on CD-ROM.  He was a vice-president of Ancestry Publishing during its acquisition by Infobases and migration to the Internet as Ancestry.com and became the first manager of acquisitions.  As a teacher, Kory has spoken at many local, state, and national genealogical conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada, including NGS, FGS, GENTECH, RootsTech and the annual BYU Family History Conferences.  For 20 years, he served as an adjunct history faculty member for the BYU Salt Lake Center and as a part-time professor for San Jose State University's well-known Masters’ program in Library Science.  As the founding director of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, he developed one of the nation’s largest such institutes.  His extensive publications include chapters in The Library, all editions of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, and numerous articles and book reviews for the Genealogical Journal, Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, Genealogical Computing, New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, The Genealogist, and more.  He contributed numerous articles and columns for both Ancestry and Heritage Quest magazines and is the author/presenter of Doing Genealogy: Foundations for Successful Research, an audio presentation with workbook.  His major reference book, Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records (Ancestry: Salt Lake City, 1998), was named "Best Reference Book of the Year" by the American Library Association.  He recently served as the lead editor for the ground-breaking new methodology book, Becoming an Excellent Genealogist, published by the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen), where he served for eight years as a commissioner.  His volunteer work also includes serving as a officer of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and having been on the Board of Directors and President of the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA).  In 2000, along with two colleagues, he founded ProGenealogists, which soon became the nation’s largest professional genealogy research firm with hundreds of clients, worldwide. After acquisition by Ancestry in 2010, Kory continued to serve in the new company, rechristened AncestryProGenealogists, where he has worked with Ancestry’s management to help build the staff to more than 100 researchers, serving thousands of clients each year.  He continues to provide training, evaluation and support to management while managing a large research case load.  In 2017 the company named him one of their first “master genealogists.”  He is always a popular speaker.  Further information about him is at  https://www.progenealogists.com/expert/kory-l-meyerink  and  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kory-l-meyerink-8085497 .

After the main presentation, the following classes are currently scheduled this month.  See the UVTAGG website and blog (URL's below) for last minute changes and additions.

(1)  Kory Meyerink, THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT ONLINE RESOURCES FOR YOUR U.S. GENEALOGY RESEARCH
(2)  Don Snow and Linda Snow Westover, RECENT GENEALOGY ARTICLES AND YOUR QUESTIONS
(3)  Don Engstrom, John Blake, and Lee Cox, ASK AN EXPERT (Personal Help)
(4)  Video of last month's main presentation, Tom Sederberg, THE BYU FAMILY HISTORY TECHNOLOGY LAB
(5)  Gaylon Findlay, ANCESTRAL QUEST

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The meetings have something for all levels of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and temple and family history consultants.  The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually 60-70 people attending the monthly meetings, many of whom are temple and family history consultants.  The Group is experimenting with live-streaming of the meetings and classes using Facebook.  If you can't attend in person, see the link on the webpage.  You can join or renew your membership at the meeting or on the website  http://uvtagg.org  where there is also information about the meeting location, current and past presentations, classes, and class notes.  On the press release blog  http://blog.uvtagg.org  is a place to 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, Membership; Rayanne Melick, Finances; Bruce Merrill and Marie Andersen, Video Library; and Rick Wightman, Chris Stevenson, Brent Nelson, and Rick Klemetson, Webmasters.  Several of these will be at the meeting to answer questions, help with membership, distribute TAGGology, the monthly newsletter, and check out or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of past main presentations and classes.  Members receive TAGGology and have access to many genealogy resources through the UVTAGG's membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  Gift memberships and DVDs make good presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and temple and family history consultants.  Volunteers who help with the organization get membership for reduced rates.  For further information 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

[UVTAGG] Meeting Saturday morning, 09 Sep 2017, Provo - Press Release

2017-08-31

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] Meeting Saturday morning, 09 Sep 2017, Provo - Press Release

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - formerly UVPAFUG) will be on Saturday, 09 Sep 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is the regular 2nd Saturday-of-the-month meeting.  The main presentation this time will be by Thomas W. Sedeberg on THE BYU FAMILY HISTORY TECHNOLOGY LAB.  This presentation will review briefly the history and mission of the BYU Family History Technology Lab , and then will describe some of the lesser-known features of FHTL software.  These include Relative Finder, Virtual Pedigree, Descendancy Explorer, OnePageGenealogy, Geneopardy, and Wheel of Family Fortune.  Dr. Sederberg retired in June 2017 as Professor of Computer Science at BYU and an Associate Dean of the BYU College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.  A first-generation member of the LDS Church, he has actively traced his Swedish and Norwegian ancestors since his teen-age years.  In about 1997, he and his colleague, Bill Barrett, founded the Family History Technology Lab housed in the BYU Computer Science Department.  The FHTL has sponsored scores of Computer Science students to write software to further the work of family history.  Tom has Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from BYU and a PhD from Purdue University.  He has received several prestigious awards, including the BYU Distinguished Lecturer Award and a Thomas Reuters Award as one of the 108 most cited Professors in Computer Science.  More information about him is at  https://cs.byu.edu/faculty/tom  and  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-sederberg-96027/ .

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

 

(1)  Tom Sederberg, Q&A ON THE BYU FAMILY HISTORY TECHNOLOGY LAB

(2)  Alan Mann, GETTING MORE FROM FAMILYSEARCH, ANCESTRY, FINDMYPAST, AND MYHERITAGE

(3)  Lorinda Mann, FINDING LOST CHILDREN

(4)  Don Engstrom, John Blake, and Lee Cox, ASK AN EXPERT (Personal Help)

(5)  Video of last month's main presentation:  Don Snow and Linda Snow Westover on DIGITIZING AND USING SOUND IN FAMILY HISTORY 

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The meetings have something for all levels of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and temple and family history consultants.  The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually 60-70 people attending the monthly meetings, many of whom are temple and family history consultants.  The Group is experimenting with live-streaming of the meetings and a class using Facebook.  See the link on the webpage.  You can join or renew your membership at the meeting or on the website  http://uvtagg.org  where there is also information about the meeting location, current and past presentations, classes, and class notes.  On the press release blog  http://blog.uvtagg.org  is a place to 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, Membership; Rayanne Melick, 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 TAGGology newsletter, and check out or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of past main presentations and classes.  Members receive the printed TAGGology (and/or via email, if requested), and have access to many genealogy resources through the UVTAGG's membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  The dues for regular membership are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and $10 per year to receive the TAGGologies via email only.  Gift memberships and DVDs make good presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and temple and family history consultants.  For further information 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

=======================

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 12 Aug 2017, Provo

2017-08-03
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 Aug 2017, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - formerly UVPAFUG) will be on Saturday, 12 Aug 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is the regular 2nd Saturday-of-the-month meeting.  The main presentation this time will be DIGITIZING AND USING SOUND IN FAMILY HISTORY by Don Snow and his daughter, Linda Westover.  Sound (and pictures) make family history come alive and most of us have some sound recordings about ourselves, our families, or our ancestors or descendants.  Those in analog format, i.e. tape or phonograph recordings, can be converted to digital format so they can be edited, copied, and preserved, and this presentation will show how to do that.  Types of digital audio files and how to record them with freeware programs will also be discussed.  Once files are in digital format, they can be edited, copied, and preserved.  Donald R. Snow is a Californian by birth, with Snow ancestors from Southern Utah.  He is a retired Professor of Mathematics from Brigham Young University and has lived in several foreign countries, both for mathematics and LDS Church assignments.  After retiring from the BYU Math Faculty, he and his now deceased wife Diane served four Family History missions for the LDS Church, including being Directors of the New York Family History Center in Manhattan, in the Illinois Nauvoo Mission on a FH project ( http://earlylds.com ), and in the London Family History Centre in the Hyde Park Chapel.  Don is on the Board of Directors of the Utah Genealogical Association whee he is the Host of the UGA Virtual Chapter meetings.  He has been a VP of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group since the early 1990's and is a frequent speaker at FH venues.  He also loves playing his accordion.  He has 6 children and 30 grandchildren.  Linda Snow Westover is Don's daughter and has been a family history enthusiast for the past 25 years.  She is a Temple and Family History Consultant and has been Associate Director of the Lindon (Utah) Shared-Stakes Family History Center.  Her friends call her the ghost-whisperer.  She enjoys helping others and traveling to research her family.  Linda recently retired from the Registrar’s Office at BYU and has 5 children and 6 grandchildren.  The notes for this class and related articles, all with active Internet links, are on Don's website  http://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html .  The Group is experimenting with live streaming of the main presentations through Facebook.  To watch it online live go to the UVTAGG website  http://uvtagg.org  and click on the link to view the proceedings remotely.

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

(1)  Alan Mann, GETTING MORE FROM FAMILYSEARCH, ANCESTRY, FINDMYPAST, AND MYHERITAGE
(2)  Lorinda Mann, A JOURNAL OF DISCOVERY FINDING LOST CHILDREN 
(3)  Don Engstrom and Lee Cox, ASK AN EXPERT (Personal Help)
(4)  Video of last month's main presentation:  Alan Mann on TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SEARCHING FAMILYSEARCH 
(5)  Gaylon Findlay, ANCESTRAL QUEST
(6)  Renee Zamora, ROOTSMAGIC AND ANCESTRY - WORKING TOGETHER NOW

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The meetings have something for all levels of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and temple and family history consultants.  The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually 60-70 people attending the monthly meetings, many of whom are temple and family history consultants.  You can join or renew your membership at this meeting or on the website  http://uvtagg.org  where there is also information about the Group, meeting location, current and past presentations, classes, and class notes.  On the press release blog  http://blog.uvtagg.org  is a place to 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, Membership; Rayanne Melick, 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 TAGGology newsletter, and check out or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of past main presentations and classes.  Members receive the printed  TAGGology (and/or via email, if requested), and have access to many genealogy resources through the UVTAGG's membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  The dues for regular membership are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and $10 per year to receive the TAGGologies via email only.  Gift memberships and DVDs make good presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and temple and family history consultants.  For further information 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
=======================

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 08 Jul 2017, Provo

2017-06-29

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, 08 Jul 2017, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group) will be on Saturday, 08 July 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is the regular 2nd Saturday-of-the-month meeting.  The main presentation will be on TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SEARCHING FAMILYSEARCH by Alan E. Mann, AG®.  Alan will discuss using filters and search parameters to focus in on desired results in FamilySearch.  Alan Mann is an accredited genealogist in England and Australia and recently retired is a senior research consultant in the Family History Library for FamilySearch.  In the past, Alan has been a community manager for the FamilySearch Community Services team and the Information Services manager for the Family History Library.  He taught British Research for BYU (History 412, 413, and 481) and various computer courses for Salt Lake Community College.  Alan writes columns, reviews, and articles for several magazines, and presents around the country on the Internet and British research.  Alan was a director of the Utah Genealogical Association (2004-2009), was program chair for GenTech 2000 in San Diego, and was co-founder and co-chair of the BYU Annual Computerized Genealogy Conference (1998-2002, 2006-2010) that has now morphed into the annual RootsTech conference.  One of his websites is https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/User:MannAE .

The following classes are currently scheduled this month after the main presentation.

(1)  Alan Mann, Q&A on TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SEARCHING FAMILYSEARCH

(2)  Laurie Castillo on JURISDICTION = WHEN + WHERE
(3)  Spencer Fields on USING PHOTOSHOP IN YOUR FAMILY HISTORY

(4)  Don Engstrom, John Blake, and Lee Cox, ASK AN EXPERT (Personal Help)

(5)  Video of last month's main presentation:  Ron Tanner on FAMILYSEARCH FUTURES 
  

For last minute changes and additions see the UVTAGG website and blog.

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The meetings have something for all levels of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and temple and family history consultants.  The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually 60-70 people attending the monthly meetings, many of whom are temple and family history consultants.  You can join or renew your membership at this meeting or on the website  http://uvtagg.org  where there is also information about the Group, meeting location, current and past presentations, classes, and class notes.  On the press release blog  http://blog.uvtagg.org  is a place to 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 TAGGology newsletter, and check out or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of past main presentations and classes.  Members receive the printed  TAGGology (and/or via email, if requested), and have access to many genealogy resources through the UVTAGG's membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  The dues for regular membership are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and $10 per year to receive the TAGGologies via email only.  Gift memberships and DVDs make good presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and temple and family history consultants.  For further information 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

=======================

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 10 June 2017, Provo

2017-05-31
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, 10 June 2017, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group) will be on Saturday, 10 June 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is the regular 2nd Saturday-of-the-month meeting.  The main presentation will be on FAMILY TREE FUTURES by Ron Tanner of FamilySearch.   This will be a review of the most recent changes and proposed features planned for FamilySearch Family Tree.  Come and participate in the directions that are taken and give feedback on what is proposed.  Afterwards, Bro. Tanner will discuss how to fix problems in Family Tree and answer your tough questions.  Ron Tanner is a Group Product Manager for the Family History Department of the LDS Church and leads a team with responsibilities for Family Tree, Search, Memories, Mobile, and other companion products.  He has a Master's Degree in Computer Science from BYU and has previously worked as a Product Manager and Software Engineer at Novell, Citrix, and Bell Laboratories.  Ron and his wife CheRee live in Provo, have four children, 2 son-in-laws, a daughter-in-law, and four grandchildren (all boys).  And one on the way!! 

The following classes are scheduled this month after the main presentation.  For last minute changes and additions see the UVTAGG website and blog.
(1)  Ron Tanner, Q&A on Family Tree
(2)  Don Engstrom and John Blake, Ask an Expert (Personal Help)
(3)  Video of last month's main presentation:  CLOTHES LINE APPROACH TO ANALYSIS by DearMYRTLE, nom de plume of Pat Richley-Erickson
(4)  Gaylon Findlay, Ancestral Quest

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The meetings have something for everyone, no matter what their level of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and temple and family history consultants.  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 temple and family history consultants.  You can join or renew your membership at this meeting or on the website  http://uvtagg.org where there is also information about the Group, meeting location, current and past presentations, classes, and class notes.  On the press release blog   http://blog.uvtagg.org  is a place to  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 TAGGology newsletter, and check out or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of past main presentations and classes.  Members receive the monthly printed  TAGGology (and/or via email, if requested), and have access to many genealogy resources through the UVTAGG's membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  The dues for regular membership are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and $10 per year for email-only TAGGologies.  Gift memberships and DVDs make good presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and temple and family history consultants.  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 .

SPECIAL NOTE:  Saturday morning, 10 June 2017 is the Utah Valley Marathon which goes down University Avenue from Provo Canyon to the Provo Town Center Mall  and you will probably have to wait to cross University Avenue until the police let you when there is a break in the runners, so allow yourself extra time to get to the UVTAGG meeting.

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

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 13 May 2017, Provo

2017-05-04

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 13 May 2017, Provo

2017-05-04

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, 13 May 2017, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group) will be on Saturday, 13 May 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is the regular 2nd Saturday-of-the-month meeting.  The main presentation will be on CLOTHES LINE APPROACH TO ANALYSIS by DearMYRTLE , nom de plume of Pat Richley-Erickson, author of the award-winning  DearMYRTLE Genealogy Blog , consistently among the top 5 family history blogs internationally, where her focus is on beginning genealogy topics.  She is the National Genealogical Society's  2015 President's Citation recipient.  This presentation includes several newer case studies and explains why reasonably exhaustive research isn't accomplished when using only  FamilySearch.org .  Renowned for multiple live video hangouts weekly, including Mondays with Myrt and Wacky Wednesday, DearMYRTLE eschews the lecture format in favor of  the "home-work-first with panelist moderation format" in her Mastering Genealogical Proof and Genealogy and the Law and other study group sessions. Over 400 videos are archived on  DearMYRTLE's YouTube Channel .  A speaker at regional and national conferences including live videocasts at RootsTech 2011 and 2012, Myrt is co-founder of the Genea-Quilters group on Facebook, and founder of  www.GeneaWebinars.com , a centralized calendar and blog for all known genealogy webinar hosts and virtual presenters.  More information about her is at  http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/p/bio.html .

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

(1)  Dear Myrtle, Clothes Line Approach to Analysis, Q&A

(2)  Laurie Castillo, Jurisdiction = When + Where

(3)  Marilyn Thomsen, Cemetery Records - Locating, Searching and Sourcing

(4)  Don Engstrom and John Blake, Ask an Expert (Personal Help)

(5)  Video of last month's main presentation:  Robert Raymond, RootsTech 2017 and Family Search

(6)  Gaylon Findlay, Ancestral Quest

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The meetings have something for everyone, no matter what their level of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and family history consultants.  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 temple and family history consultants.  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 or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of main presentations and classes.  Members receive the monthly printed newsletter TAGGology (and/or via email, if requested), and have access to many genealogy resources through the UVTAGG's membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  The dues for regular membership are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and $10 per year for email-only TAGGologies.  Gift memberships and DVDs make good presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and temple 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

=======================

[UVTAGG] Press Release - UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 08 Apr 2017, Provo

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 08 Apr 2017, Provo

2017-03-31

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 - UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 08 Apr 2017, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group) will be on Saturday, 08 Apr 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is the regular 2nd Saturday-of-the-month meeting.  The main presentation will be by ROBERT RAYMOND on ROOTSTECH 2017 AND FAMILYSEARCH.  RootsTech was held 8-11 February 2017 in the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.  FamilySearch employees presented many classes — far more than any one person could attend, but Robert gave it his best shot.  He will share with you many of the things that he heard, saw, and learned about FamilySearch products during the four whirlwind days that were RootsTech 2017.  His talk will have a handout with helpful links of related material.  Robert Raymond is a deputy to FamilySearch Chief Genealogical Officer, David Rencher.  He works to increase genealogical soundness of FamilySearch products and helps set record acquisition and publication strategy.  Robert (pseudonymically) writes a top ranked genealogy blog and is a genealogical technologist with more than 30 years experience in technology and genealogy.  He holds over a dozen technology patents and earned a Master's Degree in Electrical (Computer) Engineering from Brigham Young University where he was honored as a Kimball Scholar.  Robert has served as a director of the National Genealogical Society since 2012.   His Association of Professional Genealogists's webpage is  https://www.apgen.org/directory/search_detail.html?mbr_id=4060  and his FamilySearch Wiki page is  https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/User:RaymondRS .  

 

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

(1)  Robert Raymond, Q&A about RootsTech 2017 and FamilySearch

(2)  Don Snow, Keeping Track of Your Own Life - Documents (Don will teach this class remotely via the Internet from St. George.)

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

(4)  Video of last month's main presentation, David Quimette, From Archival Priorities To Record Hints: How FamilySearch Produces Billions of Searchable Records

(5)  Gaylon Findlay, Ancestral Quest

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The meetings have something for everyone, no matter what their level of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and family history consultants.  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.  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 or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of main presentations and classes.  Members receive the monthly printed newsletter TAGGology (and/or via email, if requested), and have access to many genealogy resources through the UVTAGG's membership in the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  The dues for regular membership are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and $10 per year for email-only TAGGologies.  Gift memberships and DVDs make good 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
=======================

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 11 Mar 2017, Provo

2017-03-02
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, 11 Mar 2017, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group) will be on Saturday, 11 Mar 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is the regular 2nd- Saturday-of-the-month meeting.  The main presentation will be by David Ouimette on FROM ARCHIVAL PRIORITIES TO RECORD HINTS:  HOW FAMILYSEARCH PRODUCES BILLIONS OF SEARCHABLE RECORDS.  This presentation will show how FamilySearch prioritizes and digitizes the records in the archives of the world and in the Granite Mountain Records Vault for online publication. It will review content strategy, camera capture, waypointing, indexing, and search capabilities, with an update on digital capture throughout the world.  David Ouimette, CG, CGL, manages Content Strategy at FamilySearch, prioritizing records for digitization and publication.  He has conducted archival research in dozens of countries across all continents.  He lectures at national genealogical conferences and institutes, serves as a trustee of the Board of Certification of Genealogists, and authored Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide.  He has degrees in Mathematics from BYU and his webpage is  https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/User:OuimetteDS .  After the main presentation he will also be giving a class on DNA.

The following classes are scheduled after the main presentation this month.  For last minute changes and additions see the UVTAGG website and blog.
(1)  David Ouimette,  DNA Evidence of Ancestral Origins
(2)  Laurie Castillo,  Jurisdiction = Where + When
(3)  Don Engstrom and John Blake, Ask An Expert (Personal Help)
(4)  Video of last month's main presentation, Stephen C. Young, The British 1881 Census Indexing Project:  A Window Into The Past
(5)  Gaylon Findlay, Ancestral Quest

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting and all meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The meetings have something for everyone, no matter what their level of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and temple and family history consultants.  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.  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 also 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 or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of main presentations and classes.  Members receive the monthly printed 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 are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and $10 per year for email-only TAGGologies.  Gift memberships and DVDs make great presents for family history-minded relatives, friends, and temple 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
=======================

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 18 Feb 2017, Provo (3rd Saturday due to RootsTech in the Salt Palace)

2017-02-08

[UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 18 Feb 2017, Provo (3rd Saturday due to RootsTech in the Salt Palace)

2017-02-08
Journalists and newsletter editors, please run this as a news item and/or in your calendar of events. (This is too late for ward newsletters.)  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, 18 Feb 2017, Provo (3rd Saturday this month due to RootsTech)

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group) will be on Saturday, 18 Feb 2017, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  This is a change from the regular second Saturday meeting day due to RootsTech 2017 in the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City on the second Saturday.  The main presentation at this month's meeting will be THE BRITISH 1881 CENSUS INDEXING PROJECT:  A WINDOW INTO THE PAST by Stephen C. Young, Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer of FamilySearch.  This presentation provides a review of this huge pioneering indexing project, the first of its size and scope, and the benefits and cautions of conducting research in this and other 19th century census records. The context of life in the British Isles in 1881 will be considered, as well as some strange and entertaining entries from the actual census.  In 1987 executives of the LDS Family History Department met in London, England with the British Genealogical Record Users Committee (BGRUC), an ad hoc group composed of organizations committed to providing access to and preservation of genealogical and historical records. A proposal was made and accepted to index the 1881 census, the latest census released at that time for public research (1891, 1901 and 1911 are now available).  On the night of Sunday, April 3rd, 1881 the entire population of England, Wales and Scotland, as well as the inhabitants of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, paused to pose for a collective portrait. The image they left does not record individual countenances, but fortunately for the millions of their descendants, it does preserve equally important features of each person who managed to be included in the depiction. This virtual snapshot in history includes over thirty million people. Queen Victoria was in the 44th year of a 63-year reign; William Ewart Gladstone's second term as a liberal prime minister had recently begun; one in every seven Britons lived in London; a labourer's weekly wage was eighteen shillings (about 90p); compulsory education for children, 5 to 13, had only recently been legislated; and work on the Channel Tunnel was begun at Folkestone but stopped again after only 879 yards. Individual entries discovered in the census can be both amusing and poignant: consider the wife described as “Minds her own business,” the 30-year-old unmarried son of Harriet Faucet, named “Kitchen,” or seven-month-old Mary Cooper “found on a doorstep."  Stephen C. Young, AG, born and raised in London, Ontario, Canada, has researched his family history since the late 1970s.  He earned a BA in Family and Local History at Brigham Young University (1985), an MA in American History (emphasis in Public History) at Bowling Green State University in Ohio (1990), and completed some doctoral work at Wayne State University in Detroit.  An employee of FamilySearch since 1988, Stephen has enjoyed several assignments during this time: in the Family History Library administration, and his four year appointment (1992-1996) in England supervising the British 1881 Census Project (pre-Internet indexing).  He is now an Assistant Chief Genealogical Officer and project manager for FamilySearch.  His genealogical research accreditation in English Canadian research has been active with ICAPGen since 1989.  He and his wife, Michelle, live in Provo and have five children with the last still at home, a sophomore at Timpview High School.

The following classes are scheduled after the main presentation this month.  For last minute changes and additions see the UVTAGG website and blog.
(1)  Steven C. Young, Q&A on Indexing the 1881 UK Census
(2)  James Tanner, The Family History Guide: Examples and Applications
(3)  Tony King, Chinese Genealogy: Locating Your Village
(4)  Don Engstrom and John Blake, Ask An Expert (Personal Help)
(5)  Video of last month's main presentation, Ed Donakey on What is the Office of Chief Genealogy Officer of FamilySearch
(6)  Gaylon Findlay, Ancestral Quest

This is the regular UVTAGG meeting, but on the third Saturday instead of the second, due to RootsTech.  All meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public, whether members of the Group or not.  The meetings have something for everyone, no matter what their level of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, seasoned genealogists, and family history consultants.  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.  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 also 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 or sell to members the inexpensive DVDs of main presentations and classes.  Members receive the monthly printed 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 are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and $10 per year for email-only TAGGologies.  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
=======================

UVTAGG] Press Release for UVTAGG meeting Saturday morning, 14 Jan 2017, Provo

2017-01-07

Journalists and newsletter editors, please run this as a news item and/or in your calendar of events. (This is too late for ward newsletters.)  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, 14 Jan 2017, Provo

The next meeting of the UVTAGG (Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group) will be on Saturday, 14 Jan 2017, 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 Edgie E. Donakey, VP, Strategic Relations and Deputy Chief Genealogy Officer, FamilySearch International.  The title of his presentation will be THE CHIEF GENEALOGY OFFICE:  SUPPORTING FAMILYSEARCH AND THE COMMUNITY.   Ed will talk about the FamilySearch Chief Genealogy Office representing FamilySearch to the genealogy community while at the same time, representing the genealogy community to FamilySearch. (Yep! This is a mouthful, but it is one of the many aspects of the CGO – keep reading and learn more.)  The CGO works with individuals, societies, and archives to deliver solutions that can be used for personal or organizational support.  Lest anyone think that they rest, they also work with public and private for-profit and non-profit orgs that can or should support the genealogy community.  He will share insights into some of their activities and demonstrate one of the recent solutions that the CGO developed – the Mobile Device App Scan.  The MDAS includes a stand that can hold a tablet or smartphone to take digital pictures, a mini-LED light, and a Bluetooth remote to ensure stability.  An off-the-shelf solution, it addresses an immediate need that allows users to capture images inexpensively, quickly, and uniformly.  At FamilySearch Mr. Donakey also identifies technical and partnership solutions to acquire critical genealogical data.  Additionally, he provides business and technology support to genealogical societies and the associated community.  As Vice President of Development for the Federation of Genealogical Societies, Ed is responsible for the FGS fundraising efforts and partnerships and directly supports the FGS annual conferences.  The past-chairman of the Board for Kids on The Move, Ed recently stepped down as an advisory board member for the Utah IT Symposium and also sits or has sat on executive advisory boards at Dell, HP, Oracle, Altiris, and other tech organizations.  He has been active in BSA for almost thirty years and is a guest lecturer at Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University.  Prior to coming to FamilySearch, he was the founding CEO of Golder Melick Insurance Reserve, an SVP at Agilix Labs, and a “C” level officer at Caldera Systems, and The Bison Group.  Earlier in his career he directed global operations, domestic and international marketing, legal, business development, and mergers and acquisitions efforts or departments.  A happily married father of eight children, Ed was elected six straight years to the v|Spring v100, recognizing the top 100 entrepreneurs in Utah.  Ed’s undergraduate and graduate studies were in philosophy and political philosophy, respectively, at BYU. 

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

(1)  Ed Donakey, Q&A on the FamilySearch Chief Genealogical Officer and FamilySearch

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

(3)  Michael J. Hall, Video of last meeting's main presentation (Nov 2016): What Is The Chief Genealogical Officer of FamilySearch?

(4)  Gaylon Findlay, Ancestral Quest

[Two additional classes are under consideration.]

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 UVTAGG meetings have something for everyone, no matter what their level of family history expertise and this includes youth, those just getting interested in genealogy, long-time genealogists, and family history consultants.  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.  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 also 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 or sell to members the inexpensive presentation and class DVDs.  Members receive 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 are $15 per year on a calendar year basis and $10 per year for email-only TAGGologies.  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

=======================