It's the most wonderful time of year...for genealogists!

It's not time for Christmas but it sure feels like that for us genealogists! RootsTech registration opened this week on Wednesday, September 20th.

There are some exciting changes coming for RootsTech 2018. I have summarized below:

1. RootsTech will be a full four days from Wednesday, February 28th to Saturday March 3, 2018

2. The Innovation Showcase will be after FamilySearch CEO Steve Rockwood's keynote speech

3. You can nominate apps, products or services in the family history industry. Submissions are due 10/15. More information can be found here.

Early bird pricing on 4-day passes are available for a limited time. I recommend buying early!

You can buy the pass and go back to add/change anything for your upcoming trip (such as luncheons, computer labs, etc. These do fill up!

Here's the link to registration:

Need more reasons to attend RootsTech? Here are 8 reasons! 

I also wrote up a blog post about my experience to RootsTech last year as a first timer.

Don't forget that I'll have an upcoming giveaway for a free 4-day pass to RootsTech. Stay tuned for updates!

Disclaimer: I am an Ambassador for RootsTech 2018. I provide blog posts (in my own words), and social media coverage from now until after the conference. In return, I have free admission to RootsTech. 

Local Libraries: An Undiscovered Treasure

As genealogists we love to explore cemeteries, archives and libraries to dig into our research. On my most recent trip to Steuben County, NY for a business trip, I snuck in some genealogy time to explore the Southeast Steuben County Library. I started poking around the web site and discovered they have a local history room. I asked at the circulation desk and they mentioned it was locked, that a staff person had to open the room and be in the room with me. I asked at the reference desk if they could let me in and they called over one of their staff, Jessica.

Jessica opened the door to the local history room. Below is a picture of the room door. The library is very serious about keeping their collections intact. 

I started exploring the room. They have hundreds of books about local history, maps, photos about Steuben County, New York State, as well as neighboring states. Their web site has a list of some of some of their newspaper holdings and they also have volunteers that will research on your behalf for a small fee by submitting the following request. If you're interested I have a small brochure of additional information I can scan for you. 

One of the interesting things I found was the following article in the vertical files: 

And of course before I left I asked for a picture as part of the #nextgeninaction campaign we just launched at NextGen Genealogy Network. 

What local libraries have you explored? 

Capture Your Family History Story on Film

Are you intrigued by genealogy TV shows such as "Who Do You Think You Are"? Do you wish you could give your family member a unique family history gift for a special occasion? There is a company called Family History Films based out of Sussex, England that creates personal family history films. The film is approximately 20-30 minutes long (can be made longer upon request) and is composed of interviews with you and members of your family as well as archive footage that is researched by Family History Films crew. In return you receive 10 copies of the film on DVD and a copy is stored online (9/22 Edit: Although it is made to broadcast standard, this is a private film for you and your family only. It will not be published or shown anywhere in the world).

As a special offer to my readers, Family History Films is providing a discount of 10% if you use the referral code "Shamrock1". This offer is valid for 3 months from today (12/17/2017).

Disclosure: I do receive a referral bonus if you take advantage of this offer.

If you're interested, contact FamilyHistoryFilms at https://www.myfamilyhistoryfilm.com/contact to schedule a free evaluation.