HelPeR - BYU Idaho Special Collections and Family History

News to Peruse NEWS BRIEFS FOR GENEALOGISTS
This section of the Genealogical Helper is meant to keep
our readers up to date on the latest news affecting the genealogical
community. It is drawn from numerous resources,
not the least of which is Everton’s own Genealogy Blog
(www.genealogyblog.com). We scan papers, newsletters
and websites looking for information. We also invite our
readers to submit news releases, announcements, calls for
papers, awards, records releases, records closures, exhibits,
discoveries, and so forth. Submit items for this section to:
leland@everton.com, putting “News to Peruse” in the Subject
Heading. All submissions are subject to editing.
Co m p il e d by Le l a n d K. Mei tz ler
Gulf Coast State Histories Slated
for Online Access—Houston
Public Library Joins FamilySearch
in Digitization Effort
Salt Lake City, Utah, June 24, 2008—Thousands of
publications that capture the diverse histories of
Gulf Coast states will be accessible for free online.
FamilySearch and the Houston Public Library announced
a joint project today to digitally preserve
and publish the library’s vast collection of county
and local histories, registers of individuals, directories
of Texas Rangers, church histories, and biographical
dictionaries. The digital records will be
available for free online at FamilySearch.org and
HoustonLibrary.org.
“Houston Public Library has one of the top 10
genealogy libraries in the nation and a very strong
Gulf Coast and international collection,” said Susan
D. Kaufman, manager of Houston Public Library’s
Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research.
“Visitors come from all over the country to visit the
library. Researchers will benefit from the convenience
of online access to the collection targeted under the
joint venture with FamilySearch,” added Kaufman.
In 2007, FamilySearch announced its plans to create
the largest and most comprehensive collection
of free city and county histories online. Over 23,000
digital publications have been made available online
since then. The addition of Houston Public Library
and its collection furthers that goal.
Under the agreement, FamilySearch will digitally
preserve thousands of Houston Public Library’s historic
publications collection and provide free access
to the images online. The targeted publications range
in date from 1795 to 1923.
Submitting a News Brief
See News to Peruse guidelines on page 4.
The new digital collections published online will
have “every word” search capability, which allows
users to search by name, location, date, or other
fields across the collection. The search results are
then linked to high quality digital images of the
original publication. Users will also be able to just
browse or read the publications as digital books online
if they prefer.
The digitization efforts have already begun, and
publications are now viewable online. Texas records
are the first publications targeted by the initiative,
followed by other Gulf Coast states. The project will
take up to five years to complete.
Digital publications will be noted and hyperlinked
in the Family History Library Catalog at Family-
Search.org as they are digitized. The growing collection
can be accessed currently at FamilySearch.org
(go to Search Records, and then Historical Books).
“We are honored to be part of such an important
and beneficial initiative with a world leader like
FamilySearch,” said Kaufman. “The digitization
and online publication of Houston Public Library’s
historic collections will help increase the inquisitiveness
of library patrons and create a heightened
sense of awareness of the library’s resources—which
then brings customers back more often with more
research questions. It’s a win-win for everyone,”
Kaufman added.
FamilySearch is providing the computers, scanners,
and camera operators required to complete the
project. FamilySearch previously announced projects
with Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne,
Indiana, Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee
Library, and FamilySearch’s own Family History Library
in Salt Lake City.
The Houston Public Library’s Clayton Library Center
for Genealogical Research is also a FamilySearch
Affiliate Library. That means local patrons have access
to millions of microfilms from FamilySearch’s vast
genealogical collection in Salt Lake City, Utah. Patrons
can order research material from FamilySearch
through the library and use the library’s film readers
and copiers to further their genealogical efforts.
—Courtesy of Paul Nauta, FamilySearch
Incline Software Releases
Ancestral Quest 12.1
Salt Lake City, Utah, November 12, 2008—Today,
Incline Software, LC announced the full release of
Ancestral Quest 12.1. AQ 12.1 has been released in
phases since July 2008, when AQ 12.1 entered the first
phase of a roll-out, wherein it was made available to
a limited number of users of both AQ and PAF. As of
today, AQ 12.1 is available to all users.
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