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NNEEWWSSLLEETTTTEERRGenealogy and Local History Section

Newsletter Number 13/ January 2009

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Contents

Award for Melvin P Thatcher..��������.�..��1

Annual Report���������..�����..��..�.2 Quebec Conference���������.�����....3 Ottawa Pre-Conference������������.�..3 IFLA Milan 2009����������������....4

Genealogy – a Danish perspective���.���..��...4

ScotlandsPeople Centre opens���������....�6

Library Exchange: Australia/Canada����.���.....7

National Library of Australia�������...��.�...10

Wales at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.����....11

Sandusky Library, USA: Archives��������.�12

Genealogy in New Zealand: notes.�������..�..12

Report from the National Library of Wales�����..12

FAIFE/GENLOC connection��.����..��..�..13,14

Correspondence������������..�.�.��.13

Index to Newsletters 1-12 on the web������..�.14

IFLA Award for Melvin P Thatcher,Chair of GENLOC 2003-2007

At the final session of the IFLA Quebec Congress,Dr. Thatcher was awarded the IFLA Certificate ofMerit in recognition of his work for the Associationand especially for its Genealogy and Local HistorySection (GENLOC). He was nominated for this

Scenes from the IFLA Congress, Quebec, 2008: l-r: The Changing of the Guard at the Citadel; map of Grosse-Îsle, the quarantine station for immigrants to

Canada, in the St Lawrence River, used 1832 to 1937 – venue for the GENLOC Study Tour; view towards theChâteau Frontenac, one of Quebec’s principal landmarks

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award by the GENLOC Committee, the FamilyHistory Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA,FamilySearch and the Genealogical Society ofUtah and the Shanghai Library, China.

Dr. Thatcher has worked for FamilySearch(formerly known as the Genealogical Society ofUtah) for over 30 years, acquiring written and oralgenealogical sources for the Centre. He has a BAin Chinese area studies and language, an MA inHistory and a PhD in ancient Chinese History.

Throughout his career, Dr. Thatcher has beendevoted to the advancement of internationalgenealogy and local history librarianship,especially through IFLA. In 1999, he wasinstrumental in forming the GENLOC DiscussionGroup as part of the Association. The Groupmembers aimed to raise the consciousness oflibraries and librarians as to the popularity andimportance of genealogy and local history.

In 2000 at IFLA Jerusalem, Dr. Thatcher led theDiscussion Group in providing a new internationalforum for the exchange of information aboutgenealogical resources, services and professionaldevelopment. Dr. Thatcher continually promotedthe Group to the IFLA authorities until theGenealogy and Local History Section (GENLOC)was established in 2002 as an official IFLASection, with himself first as Interim Chair andthen, from 2003, as official Chair, until hisretirement from that position at IFLA Durban 2007.

Celebrations after the presentation of the IFLA Award toMelvin P Thatcher.l-r: Janice McFarlane (Treasurer, GENLOC), Dr. Thatcher,Ruth Hedegaard (present Chair, GENLOC)

Alongside the annual IFLA Open Sessions andStudy Tours, Dr. Thatcher’s many achievementsas Chair of GENLOC have included vital co-operation with other IFLA Sections such asFAIFE, the Geography and Map Libraries Section,the Audiovisual and Multimedia Section, and theReference Section; a recruitment drive; and a

survey of genealogy and local history facilities innational library associations. He has overseen theproduction of the GENLOC introductory leaflets inAfrikaans, Chinese, English, French, Japanese,Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, andSpanish, and has encouraged the publication ofthe bi-annual Newsletter, 2002 onwards, in printand on the IFLA GENLOC website. He alsosupported the editing of the GENLOC Conferencepapers 2001-2005, published by KG Saur in 2008.

During his term of office, Dr. Thatcher alsoadvocated the use of GENLOC electronicdiscussion groups, one for members and one forCommittee business. He has also promoted IFLA,especially the work of the Section, at conferencesin China, Australia and elsewhere, and hasencouraged his colleagues at the GenealogicalSociety of Utah to do similarly.

The members of the GENLOC Committee areaware of the effort that Dr. Thatcher has put intoexpanding and encouraging the GENLOCSection. We thank him for his commitment andenergy. This IFLA honour is little enough rewardfor his steadfast and experienced work for IFLA.

This article is a much-abbreviated version of one of thesuccessful Citations sent to IFLA HQ 2008

The Montmorency Falls on the St Lawrence River. Enroute to Grosse-Îsle Quarantine Station with the GENLOCStudy Tour

Annual Report 2007-2008

The Genealogy and Local History Section had 38section members at the end of the year 2008.

Chair: Ruth Hedegaard, DenmarkSecretary: Russell Lynch, USATreasurer: Janice McFarlane, ScotlandInformation Co-ordinator: Janet Tomkins,Canada

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Editor of Newsletter: Elizabeth Melrose, England

Committee members 2005-2009:Richard Huws (Wales), Elizabeth Melrose(England), Paul Smart (USA), and JuergenWarmbrunn (Germany)

Committee members 2007-2011:Anne Burrows (Australia), Lijing Chen (China),Ruth Hedegaard (Denmark), Antonio Lechasseur(Canada), Gerard Long (Ireland), Russell Lynch(USA), Janice McFarlane (Scotland), WayneMetcalfe (USA), Mattye Laverne Page (USA),Janet Tomkins (Canada), Gui Won Lee (SouthKorea), and Hsiao-ming Yu (Taiwan)

Corresponding members:Gu Yan (China), Marie-Louise Perron (Canada)Susan Lugo (US Virgin Islands)

Outside the Conference Building, Quebec

During the year we have been working on variousactivities and services:

Open Session Program

The theme of the 2008 programme in Quebec wasAccess to Genealogical Records: Data Protectionversus Unlocking the Records. GENLOC held ajoint session with FAIFE (Free Access toInformation and Freedom of Expression). 157delegates attended the session on Tuesday, 12th

August 2008. Four speakers presented papers.Philippe Colombe’s paper: Protection despersonnes et exigences scientifiques : les enjeuxde la réforme sur l'accès aux archives en France

was selected for submission to IFLA Journal.

The session papers can be accessed at:www.ifla.org/IV/ifla74/Programme2008.htm Scrolldown to section 117 for the link.

Elizabeth Melrose gave a short presentation at anIFLA session, publicising the IFLA / K G Saureditions for 2008. She spoke about the specificvolume edited by Ruth Hedegaard and ElizabethMelrose – International Genealogy and LocalHistory: Papers presented by the Genealogy andLocal History Section at IFLA GeneralConferences 2001 – 2005. For more details see:www.ifla.org/V/pr/saur130.htm

During the World Library and InformationCongress in Quebec, Melvin P Thatcher wasawarded a Certificate of Service Award on 14th

August, 2008 for working with librarians world-wide and for establishing the IFLA Genealogy andLocal History Section.

Satellite Meeting (Pre-Conference)

GENLOC held a satellite meeting for the first timeas part of the World Library and InformationCongress this year. The Reference andInformation Services Section with the Genealogyand Local History Section held the very successfulevent in Ottawa, Canada at Library and ArchivesCanada (LAC) on 6th/7th August, 2008. The titlewas Genealogy and Local History for All: Servicesto Multicultural Communities. Forty delegatesattended the meetings held near the beautifulOttawa River and government buildings ofCanada’s capital. Thirteen speakers presentedinformation on the diverse cultures of Canada.The IFLANET site for GENLOC has a detailed

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report about this successful satellite meeting. see:www.ifla.org/IV/ifla74/satellite-report-genloc-

en.pdf

Study Tour

The section sponsored a study tour to Grosse-Îleand the Irish Memorial National Historic Site nearQuebec in the St. Lawrence River on Wednesday,13th August. Grosse-Île was a quarantine stationfrom 1832 to 1937. Parks Canada maintains theproperty. Twenty-two people attended the tour,booked through Cruises le Coudrier.

Section Committee Meetings

Full minutes for these meetings can be accessedon the Genealogy and Local History Section pageon the IFLA website. see:www.ifla.org/VII/s37/annual/s37-2008-minutes.pdf

The standing committee also reviewed each itemin the strategic plan during a spring discussion viaemail.

Membership Drive

One important goal of the section is to get moremembers in order to continue. We were pleasedthat the IFLA Professional Committee reduced theminimum number of members from 50 to 40. Aftercontacting hundreds of libraries with a writteninvitation, we believe the best approach is stillthrough personal contact.

Working with FAIFE on Record Accessand Data Privacy Resolution

Our section has been working closely with FAIFEto produce a resolution on records access anddata privacy called Access to PersonallyIdentifiable Information in Historical PopulationRecords. This was presented to Council for a voteof acceptance in Quebec.

Communication

Elizabeth Melrose continues to produce excellentNewsletters twice each year. The Newsletters areavailable through the IFLANET page. see:www.ifla.org/VII/s37/index.htm

GENLOC Listserv

The Genealogy and Local History Section usedthe email listserv to communicate with all sectionmembers and for administrative purposes withinthe Standing Committee.

Publication of Conference Papers

The IFLA Publication Series, Nr130, was preparedby GENLOC. K.G. Saur published International

Genealogy and Local History ed. Ruth Hedegaardand Elizabeth Melrose, ISBN: 978-3-598-22036-4- containing papers delivered at IFLA annualconferences, 2001-2005, covering a wide range ofsignificant issues and trends in historical andfamily research. For details of how to buy thisvolume see: www.ifla.org/V/pr/saur130.htm

IFLA Milan, Italy 2009Open Session

The theme for the GENLOC open session in Milannext year is Opening up our Cultural Heritagethrough Digitisation and Collaboration. Weanticipate another successful programme withexcellent presentations in Milan.

Off-site Session

GENLOC will also sponsor an off-site sessionabout Ecclesiastical Libraries on Tuesday, 25th

August, 2009 during the Congress in Milan. TheStanding Committee approved the request fromthe Milan-WLIC Committee to sponsor themeeting.

Study Tour

The section is planning a study tour to variousarchives and libraries in Milan, Italy. WayneMetcalfe of FamilySearch International is helpingwith the arrangements.

Russell LynchSecretary of the Genealogy and Local History Section

Genealogy and Local History for All:Services to Multicultural Communities:

with a Danish Perspective

Lea Vivot: The Secret Bench of Knowledge sculpture.Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa (Wikipedia)

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This article is about the pre-conference held atLibrary and Archives Canada in Ottawa before theIFLA (International Federation of LibraryAssociations and Institutions) conference inAugust 2008, and about the IFLA Genealogy andLocal History Section. At the same time thetreatment of general sources for genealogy andlocal history in Denmark is emphasised.

The 2-day conference was co-ordinated by theGenealogy and Local History Section (GENLOC)and the Reference and Information ServicesSection, two of the 48 sections of IFLA. Theorganisers succeeded in putting together a verydiverse and exciting programme. Genealogy andlocal history were treated from several standpointsand important references were made toinformation about sources etc.

Library and Archives Canada, established in 2004,would in Denmark correspond to The StateArchives and The Royal Library. It is remarkableto note that half a floor of the archives is occupiedby the Canadian Genealogy Centre, and containsvery many physical and virtual resources fromLibrary and Archives Canada. To see genealogycapture such a prominent position in state librariesand archives is exciting news.

Earlier, at least in Denmark, there has been atendency to place genealogical and local historicalcollections in small, rather unsatisfactory roomswith a minimum of resources and without anystate attention. This seems on the edge of turning,and at the IFLA conference there were severalreferences to both archives and genealogy andlocal history in combination.

GENLOC had its early start in 1997, and wasrecognised as a Section in 2002. I have occupiedthe post of Secretary since 2002 and wasappointed Chair of the Committee in 2007.

The Section aims to:

• provide a voice for genealogy and local historylibrarians in the international informationcommunity

• facilitate networking among subject specialistsand libraries, archives, museums, and relatedsocieties and institutions

• encourage the development of genealogy andlocal history collections and user services.

These activities are to a great extent explored atthe annual GENLOC sessions at the IFLACongresses, where the committee organises

paper presentations, study tours and discussions.The 2008 pre-conference in Ottawa alloweddelegates to dig deeper into specific topicsrelating to genealogy and local history services formulticultural communities.

The Mecca of genealogists internationally is nodoubt the Family History Library of the Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. see thehomepage: www.familysearch.org

Under the heading, From raw records to digitalimages: making records more accessible atFamilySearch, Paul Smart, Outreach Manager inMarketing at FamilySearch spoke about theinitiatives of digitising even more material. Theinstitution has made allies with volunteers, and, allover the world, data is put in the computer, andsources are indexed. FamilySearch has alsostarted digitising the 2.4 million microfilm rolls fromtheir collections, among others the many Danishsources that were microfilmed in the 1960s. A visitto the homepage of FamilySearch isrecommended to see the great amount of materialconnected to Denmark that can be found there.

Denmark’s Events and Time Periods on FamilySearch.org

On the main page is a reference, among otherthings, to Research guidance by location (underthe heading Start your family history). When youhave clicked onto Denmark, you find threeheadlines: Birth, Marriage and Death, divided intotime periods. Note that the headings aresomewhat misleading. Under any heading can befound information about many different sources.

The homepage does not only lead to nationalmaterial. It is also possible to search for countiesor cities. A search for Frederikshavn gave, amongother things, the following result:

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Brandtaksationsprotokoller, 1820-1877. Danmark.Byråd (Frederikshavn) Mikrofilmet fra manuskript iLandsarkivet for Nørrejylland, Viborg.(Fire insurance and fire assessments records ofFrederikshavn, Hjørring County, Denmark). Publicrecords, Manuscript. Danish. Filmed for theGenealogical Society of Utah, 1962, 2mikrofilmspoler

These examples are included to give an idea ofthe material on this website.

In the search system of the State Archives Daisy,it is possible to search for the sources that arementioned in FamilySearch. From the homepageyou can borrow archives to an approved loan-institution, unless these are withdrawn from loan.The two webpages complement each other. FromFamilySearch you get an idea as to what Danishsources the Mormon Church considers the mostessential genealogical sources, those that havebeen chosen for microfilming.

The website of the State Archives has to a greatextent put the user in the forefront. There aremany simple guides on the use of the archivematerials, and ordering material is effortless anduncomplicated. On the website, among otherthings, there is an e-learning program to Gothichandwriting, which is indispensable for thosestudents interested in reading original materialfrom older times.

It is important to remind historians of the many cityand local archives to be found around the country.The latest municipal reforms, where the number ofDanish municipalities decreased from 275 to 98,have forced the establishment of city archives withthe responsibility of municipal archives, resultingin more people being concerned with theprotection, recording and the communication ofthe archives. The homepages of city and localarchives have much material of great interest togenealogists and local historians. Many Danisharchives have databases of original sources -material you can search on your own computer.One relevant database is the Odense databasethat holds information from many different sourcesabout people from Odense in the 1700s.

Ending this article I shall mention some well-known and widely used Danish search databases.

• Arkivalieronline contains digitised churchrecords up to 1925 and censuses 1787-1916(with the exception of 1870, 1901 and 1911)from all of Denmark.

• Danpa Denmark’s National Private ArchivesDatabase makes it possible to search forrecords of private archives that are kept in thelocal archives, in the State Archives, in theRoyal Library and in different specialcollections, as, for example, the Library andArchives of the Labour Movement and theDanish collection of Folklore.

• ArBiMus is a cultural historical searchdatabase that makes it possible to search atthe same time in archives, libraries andmuseums in the north of Jutland and in theregion of Vejle.

In this article, starting with the Ottawa Conferenceon Genealogy and Local History for All, I havetried to describe some of the sources that arecentral for genealogists and local historians inDenmark.

Ruth Hedegaard, Chair of GENLOC:Translation of her article in ‘Referencen’. Danish Union ofLibrarians 2008 vol38, no3, pp.18-21rhe@stofanet.dk

ScotlandsPeople Centre opens forbusiness in Edinburgh

Some IFLA members may remember participatingin the visit to the General Register Office forScotland in August 2002, as part of the firstGENLOC Study Tour. Our hosts provided aninteresting talk on their resources and services,and we enjoyed an interesting tour of their historicbuilding, and were able to view some originalregisters of birth, death and marriage as well ascensus records.

However, things have now changed, with the newScotlandsPeople Centre officially opening to thepublic in January 2009see: www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk/

The facilities previously available at GeneralRegister House (National Archives of Scotland)

Useful websites

www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-200-e.htmlwww.ifla.org/VII/s37/index.htmhttp://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.aspwww.sa.dkwww.vejlestadsarkiv.dk/dk/default1.asp?what=dblistwww.odensedatabasen.dkwww.arkivalieronline.dk/www.danpa.dk/www.arbimus.dk

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and New Register House (Registrar GeneralOffice for Scotland and Court of the Lord Lyon -Scotland’s official heraldry office) have beencombined to create a purpose-built family historycentre. The Centre has four search rooms, a café,a shop and seminar facilities.

The ScotlandsPeople Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland

The ScotlandsPeople Centre will provide accessto all key Scottish resources from the 16th centuryonwards. This includes birth, death and marriageregisters; wills; census records; and coats ofarms. Most of the records have been digitised andare available to view via onsite computers. A fulllist of the available records can be found on thewebsite.

The cost of a full day’s search will be £10.00, withfree two-hour taster sessions available for new orinexperienced researchers. Staff will also bearound to help or give advice to those that need it.Seats can be pre-booked by telephone, although itis hoped that an online booking service will soonbe operational. Visitors will also be allowed to print

documents or download them onto a memory stickfor a fee.

For those who are unable to visit in person, manyof the documents are available on the onlinedatabase see: www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/.This is a pay-per-view service. However, manyScottish public and research libraries areproviding a discounted voucher scheme, wherebyregistered readers can apply to use the databaseat a reduced charge.

The seal of approval on the new ScotlandsPeopleCentre was granted by a visit from Her Majestythe Queen in July 2008, when she toured the newsearch rooms and viewed some of the original anddigitised records. To commemorate thecompletion of the building work she unveiled aplaque and signed the visitor’s book. Photographsof the visit can be seen on the website.

We are sure that this new facility will be well usedand its opening in January 2009 will provide awelcome introduction to Scotland’s Year ofHomecoming, which aims to encourageexpatriate Scots, and those of Scots’ extraction toreturn and celebrate their roots.

Hazel Robertson, Enquiries AssistantEnquiries & Reference ServicesNational Library of Scotland

’For every single Scot in their native land,there are thought to be at least five moreoverseas who can claim Scottish ancestry’.For more information on HomecomingScotland 2009see:

www.homecomingscotland2009.com/whats-on/default.html

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Library Exchange: Australia/Canada

G'day! As a new member of IFLA's Genealogyand Local History Section I am writing about mylatest career adventure: an Australia - Canadawork exchange.

I have worked overseas once before at theWestminster Reference Library in London,England. That experience was so positive, bothpersonally and professionally, that I was keen torepeat it - this time from a North Americanperspective. Another factor is my interest ingenealogy and the current strategic direction ofmy home library in Sydney, which has recognisedthe significance of family historians among thoseclient groups that we aim to serve.

State Library of New South Wales: Mitchell Library Wing

The exchange is between the State Library ofNew South Wales (NSW), Sydney, Australia, andthe Cloverdale Branch of Surrey Public Library,British Columbia (BC), Canada. StephanieKurmey, my exchange colleague, is the genealogylibrarian at Cloverdale, and was the recipient ofmy approach back in September 2007. Months ofcorresponding followed, resulting in policies beingput in place to convert a dream into reality. Ibegan the 10-month exchange in September,2008.

Cloverdale Library, City of Surrey, British Columbia

Cloverdale Public Library, as well as serving itslocal community, specialises in genealogy.Regarded as one of the finest collections ofCanadian genealogical materials, Cloverdale hasthe most extensive records in western Canada.Significantly, Cloverdale's collection was built inresponse to an expressed community need, thesame need which has now been recognised toexist at the State Library, NSW.

Cloverdale Genealogy colleagues: Laurie Cooke (seated)flanked by Jacqui Haines and David Berry(Team member Tamara Nadon not present)

The State Library's Strategic Plan for 2007/08 is afundamental realignment of the organisation froma collections based focus to a client-centred focus.Because family historians have been identified asone of six key client groups, the library's FamilyHistory Service is now a priority as never before.The majority of client information requests at theState Library concern family history, Australianaand intensive historical newspaper searching.

The State Library of NSW is both a public libraryand a research library. The Mitchell Library Winghouses the Australian Research Collections and isone of the nation's leading research libraries. Aswith other State Libraries the Mitchell Library is adeposit library and thus plays a key role inpreserving the heritage of NSW. Many rare andunique items are held here both published andunpublished. Perhaps the most treasured itemsare the First Fleet Journals. These Journals werekept onboard the convict transports that arrived inSydney in 1788 to establish the Colony of NSW.

The State Reference Library is the library's otherwing. This is a General Reference Library andhouses the library's Family History Service (FHS).This is the starting point for family history researchat the State Library of NSW. The FHS bringstogether the most frequently requested material

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for researchers that enables them to assemble afamily tree chart based on verifiable records. Thescope of the collection is international, allowingclients to trace their ancestry to a country of origin.Clients with NSW ancestry are then referred to theMitchell Library to flesh out this information fromother sources.

NSW State Reference Library: Family History Service

There are differences between the two libraries.Cloverdale Library specialises as a Family HistoryCentre. It has centralised its collection bringing allCanadian genealogical records together. Thismeans the collection is visible and accessible. Theadvantage of this holistic approach is that one canobserve client use of the collection, informing thelibrarian of the more popular and valuablegenealogical resources.

Whilst the State Library of NSW provides aservice run from its own Family History Service inthe State Reference Library, genealogicalresources are dispersed throughout the institution.Many lie hidden in library stacks across bothlibraries eg. cemetery records and newspapernotices etc. Thus there is a need to determine thescope of the family history collection andcentralise resources to aid presentation andaccessibility. Resources, which have hitherto beenunder-utilised, will be identified. Here the moreholistic approach of Cloverdale could inform theState Library, enabling it to provide a moreeffective and consistent service.

One of the State Library's requirements forapproving the exchange was to demonstrate howthe experience will deliver service improvementsto the Family History Service. This required theformulation of an academic or work based project.For this I turned to the Action Plan of theIndependent Learners and Family HistoriansTeam of which I am a member. Action Plans wererequired of all client service teams following therestructure of the Reader Services Division. Thesedocuments are tied to the Divisions’ goals fordelivering better library services to the people ofNSW. It is my hope that the experience atCloverdale will benefit and inform that process.

Another aspect that draws me to Cloverdale is thecommitment to delivering genealogy services toFirst Nations peoples, assisting those of Metis,‘Indian’ and Inuit heritage trace their ancestry. InSeptember 2008 the Surrey Public Library formeda First Nations Team with the goal of connectingwith local First Nations peoples, planningprograms of interest to the community inconjunction with them. One of the team’sinitiatives is a First Nations Genealogy OnlineGuide. I will have the privilege of working withcolleague Laurie Cooke in authoring this guide.

Genealogy Colleague, Laurie Cooke. Cloverdale Library

Working on this project will once again have thepotential to enhance existing services at theSLNSW where indigenous information provisionranks among the world’s best practices. Theexperience could also facilitate a closer workingrelationship between the Family History Serviceand the library’s Indigenous Librarians, both ofwhom provide genealogy services.

David Berry, Information Services Librarian,Surrey Public Library - Cloverdale Branch, BC, CanadaDBerry@surrey.ca

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The National Library of Australiawww.nla.gov.au

The National Library of Australia stands in theparliamentary triangle on the shores of LakeBurley Griffin in Canberra. The building, opened in1968, was constructed to house the NationalLibrary’s growing collections, having been formallyseparated from the Commonwealth ParliamentaryLibrary in 1960.

The National Library of Australia, Canberra(Loui Seselja, National Library of Australia, 2004)

The Library is a principal storehouse for thenation. Its role is ‘to ensure that documentaryresources of national significance relating toAustralia and the Australian people, as well assignificant non-Australian library materials, arecollected, preserved and made accessibleP’

The Library has seven reading rooms but familyhistorians generally start their research in theNewspapers and Microforms Reading Room(NMRR) where the Open Access family historycollection is located.

Family History Open Access Collection(Paul Livingston, 2008)

This self-service collection comprises microformgenealogical information from all Australian statesand territories, Commonwealth electoral rolls from1903 to the present time, pre-federation Stateelectoral rolls, English and Welsh birth, death andmarriage indexes and probate calendars, Irishtransportation records, London Directories andsome New Zealand material. The entire collectionof Australian Joint Copying Project microfilms ispart of the self-service collection in the NMRR.

The Library also holds the Society of AustralianGenealogists' microfilm parish register collection.

A guide booklet, available in the reading room andat www.nla.gov.au/collect/genealogy/mfmopen/,lists drawer and call numbers, facilitating self-service use of the collection. The guide alsoindicates where indexes to material may be found.This is important with indexes increasingly beingsupplied on websites and other electronic formatsand not necessarily located with the actualmaterial.

The NMRR is equipped with 27 scanningmicroform readers. All microform readers areequipped to read and scan both microfiche andfilm. Readers may print the scanned images at asmall cost or save/webmail at no cost. To facilitatethe scanning process, each microform reader hasan associated computer which also offers the fullrange of NLA web and internet facilities availableon other public computers. Readers enjoy beingable to use online indexes and microfilmconcurrently.

Microfilm Readers (Paul Livingston, 2008)

The Australian newspaper collection, accessedvia the NMRR, is comprehensive, with Australiannewspapers being deposited under legal depositrequirements. Gaps in our holdings of historicAustralian newspapers have been filled withmicrofilm copies. A range of current and historicoverseas newspapers is kept in the collection.State capital daily newspapers and some largerregional newspapers are on self-serve access inthe reading room, allowing easy use inconjunction with family history resources. Acollection of family history guides and indexes inbook form can be consulted in the reading room.

Popular family history resources on CD, such asbirth, death and marriage indexes, immigration,convict and cemetery indexes as well as usefulfamily history websites are networked to all publiccomputers in the library through the eResourcessection of the NLA web atwww.nla.gov.au/app/eresources/

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The Library currently subscribes to three majorfamily history database services – Ancestry.com,WorldVitalRecords and Origins Network. Usersmay use these services on any public computer inthe building. WorldVitalRecords providesconvenient one-search access to hundreds ofAustralian items on CD which otherwise wouldneed to be retrieved individually by call-slip.

A number of subscription databases are offeredremotely to registered National Library users, freeof charge. see: www.nla.gov.au/getalibrarycard.Remotely accessible National Library subscriptiondatabases popular with family historians are theTimes Digital Archive, Factiva (current Australianand overseas newspapers), House of CommonsParliamentary Papers and Making of the ModernWorld.

Family historians find much to interest them in thebroader collections of the National Library. Thelegal deposit requirement for Australian publishedbooks provides a broad and varied selection ofAustralian personal, family, local and militaryhistories for family history researchers to fill thegaps in their story, as well as books on generalsubject areas. Oral histories, maps, pictures andmanuscripts provide further scope for in-depthresearch. Maps, pictures and manuscripts arelocated in their own reading rooms.

The National Library’s rapidly growing digitalcollection of pictures, maps, and manuscripts:see: www.nla.gov.au/digicoll/ is of great interest tofamily historians. We have received very positivefeedback on a reader’s ability to access the digitalmaterial remotely, completely free of charge.Especially popular is the newly launchedAustralian Newspapers Digitisation Programwww.nla.gov.au/ndp/index.html with a rapidlyexpanding selection of historic Australiannewspapers, fully searchable and digitised.

Printed guides for a range of family historysubjects are supplied in the reading rooms andonline at www.nla.gov.au/guides/. Additionalonline help is available at For Family Historians atwww.nla.gov.au/infoserv/family.html. Furtherdevelopment of our online resources to facilitateunmediated family history research is planned.

Reader Education is offered on a weekly basis fora wide range of skills and subjects across theLibrary’s subject areas, with family history beingthe focus of a session once a month. Somesessions are held in computer training rooms ashands-on sessions, teaching skills in a particulardatabase or subject area such as Ancestry,

Origins Network or immigration resources. Amonthly drop-in session provides an opportunityfor readers with a particular research problem toseek assistance from a librarian. Monthly trainingsessions are held for the microform equipment.

Readers are assisted by the reading room counterstaff with reference enquiries and equipmentinstruction and troubleshooting. Demands on staffcan be quite challenging, especially with thosereaders with limited computer skills. Regular shortskills sharing sessions take place within theReader Services area and longer trainingsessions in the Reference Awareness program forstaff include family history subjects.

National Library staff have participated in familyhistory training days and displays including theNational Archives’ Shake your Family Tree in2008 and the Heraldry and Genealogical Societyof the Australian Capital Territory’s annual trainingcourses, providing speakers and informationbooths.

For many years, the National Library has had asteadily increasing clientele of family historyresearchers. These include regular locally basedresearchers, visitors/tourists and special interestgroups. The airing of the Who Do You Think YouAre programs on TV in the UK and Australia,precipitated a 25% rise in family history readers inFebruary 2008. Provision of service to readers issometimes hampered by unfamiliarity withtechnology. However, a study is currentlyunderway to ascertain best practice in familyhistory services and developments in otherlibraries and archives.

Jenny Higgins, Family History/Reader Education Librarian,National Library of Australia jhiggins@nla.gov.au

Wales at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival2009

Smithsonian Folklife Festival(www.folklife.si.edu/festival/2009/index.html)

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Wales will be the featured nation at theinternationally renowned Smithsonian FolklifeFestival held in the heart of Washington, DC on24-28 June – 1-5 July 2009. The National Libraryof Wales has been invited to lead on the FamilyHistory area of the Festival. Members of staff withexpertise in this field will be present throughoutthe Festival to give advice on researching Welshancestry as part of the Wales Smithsonian Cymru2009 team funded by The Welsh AssemblyGovernment.www.folklife.si.edu/festival/2009/Wales/index.html

Archives of the Sandusky Library,Ohio, USA

sanduskyhistory.blogspot.com/

This features the collections of the Archives of theSandusky Library and The Follett House Museumin Sandusky, Ohio, United States using materialsfrom their Local History Collections. One item(below) shows an excerpt from the Book of theSecretary of the Daughters of the AmericanRevolution, 1897.

New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc.

www.genealogy.org.nz

Resources available to all members include:- Certificates Collection and Pedigree Collection- Pre-1856 New Zealand Marriage RecordsCollection and First Families Collection- Obituaries Collection

Auckland, New Zealand12

th Australasian Congress on Genealogy

January 2009

See: www.affhocongress2009.org/index.htmlfor the programme and speaker profiles.An article on this conference will appear in thenext issue of the GENLOC Newsletter.

Anthony Holmes sends the following fromInvercargill, New Zealand, one of thesouthernmost cities of the world.

St Mary’s RC Basilica, Invercargill

Join the New Zealand Society of Genealogists(Inc), Southland Branch if you live in Invercargill orthe surrounding districts.www.geocities.com/nzsg_southland/The research room/library is on the first floor ofthe Invercargill Public Library.

The National Library of Wales - report

In response to demand the Library intends tointroduce free Wi-Fi service in its Reading Roomsand will be running a pilot project from January2009. The introduction of Wi-Fi will be the first of anumber of developments leading up to theopening of the newly renovated North ReadingRoom during the summer of 2009.

2009 will also see the wills of the National Libraryof Wales being made available online. The first

13

stage will provide access to the digital images inthe Reading Rooms and this will be followed byremote access for users from all around the world.

As a result of increasing financial pressures, theBoard of the National Library of Wales hasdecided to close the building to the public onSaturdays from 1 April 2009.

The Library Board was forced to take thisunfortunate decision due to the steady decreasein the value of its budgets over recent years andthe further cuts anticipated over the next fewyears. The implications of this for the public will benot only losing the service of the reading roomsbut also access to the exhibitions, restaurant andshop which form a popular tourist and conferencedestination for people from all over Wales andbeyond.

Beryl Evans, Family History Co-ordinator, National Libraryof Wales

FAIFE/GENLOC Connection -International Seminar

GENLOC Committee member, AntonioLechasseur, Associate Director General, StrategicOffice, Library and Archives Canada, was invitedby FAIFE (IFLA Section on Free Access toInformation and Freedom of Expression) to give apresentation at an International Seminar ofGenealogy and Local History, Challenges forlibraries and archives: hidden histories, held at theNational Archives, Rio de Janeiro on November 6and 7, 2008. Antonio is acting as the GENLOCliaison with FAIFE.

His presentation was entitled Services forMulticultural Communities - Initiatives Developedby the IFLA Section on Genealogy and LocalHistory (GENLOC). Why is GENLOC interested inthis topic? He explained that the work thatGENLOC is involved with intersects very muchwith the fundamental commitment of IFLA/FAIFEtowards a balance that would allow for access topersonal data (information) and rights to privacyall around the world. This is somehow animportant foundation that should allow forgenealogy and local history to continue to flourishin the future.

Antonio was asked to comment on what GENLOChad been doing recently in the field of services tomulticultural communities. He defined theexcellent work accomplished over the last fewyears; including the planning and presentation ofthe Section’s first satellite conference, held

successfully in August 2008 in Ottawa; and thesupport GENLOC provided to the World Libraryand Information Congress in Quebec City, whenGENLOC organised a joint session with FAIFE onthis very topic. At the Congress, Antonio alsospoke about the resolution that FAIFE andGENLOC drafted for the protection of personalinformation for the consideration of IFLA as wellas promoting pertinent papers from the publishedvolume of IFLA GENLOC presentations

Susan Laura Lugo, President of the CaribbeanGenealogy Library, Inc., US Virgin Islands, and amember of GENLOC, also gave a presentation onthe obstacles and challenges for genealogyresearch in the Caribbean region – What aPistarckle! Access to Caribbean records forFamily History Research.

One of the goals of the seminar was to provideawareness in the Latin American community ofhow personal information is important forresearch, genealogy, and so on. For this purposeIFLA/FAIFE continually enjoys key support fromthe National Archives of Brazil and the SwedishInternational Development Agency who co-sponsored the Seminar.Antonio Lechasseur, Libraries and Archives Canadaantonio.lechasseur@lac-bac.gc.ca

Correspondence

I am writing to show great interest in yourInternational Federation of Library Associationsand Institutions (IFLA). I am one of the staff in theCapital Library of China, Beijing’s LocalLiteratures department, which is a core sector inour library and specialises in the study of Beijing ’slocal history and culture.

I have received a brochure talking about thehistory, objectives, and activities of IFLA, as wellas an application form for applying for members ofthe group. My department and I would also like toknow more information about the IFLA Group -what qualifications do you need to becomemembers of the group? what are theresponsibilities we should have? and what is theapplication procedure?

We’ll do our utmost to promote free internationalcommunications in this field.

Yu Jialu ( Ms), The Capital Library of Chinalulucia@126.com

Ruth Hedegaard, GENLOC Chair of GENLOC respondedand invited Ms Yu Jialu to join GENLOC

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Email to the GENLOC Section Committee fromthe Co-ordinator of Professional Activities,International Federation of LibraryAssociations, The Hague, Netherlands

This is to inform you that in its meeting yesterday,3rd December 2008, our Governing Boardendorsed the Resolution on Access toPersonally Identifiable Information inHistorical Records, following a recommendationof the Professional Committee. An earlier versionof this resolution was submitted jointly by theFAIFE Committee and the Genealogy and LocalHistory Section to the Professional Committee inQuebec City in August this year.

You will soon see it appear on the IFLA website.Congratulations to you, the FAIFE Committee andthe Genealogy and Local History Section. Couldyou please distribute this news to yourcommittees?

Sjoerd Koopmann, IFLA HQ

For the IFLA Statement (December 2008) onAccess to Personally Identifiable Informationin Historical Records please see:

www.ifla.org/faife/policy/personal-historical-records.htm

GENLOC Ottawa Pre-ConferenceA paper conservator explains her work

(Janet Tomkins, 2008)

INDEX TO THE NEWSLETTER

An extremely useful Index to the Genealogyand Local History Section Newsletter (issues1-12, November 2002 – June 2008) has beencompiled by Richard E Huws, SectionCommittee Member. We have to thankRichard for all his work on this Index.

The Index can be found on the IFLAGENLOC Section webpage at:

www.ifla.org/VII/s37/news/genloc-Newsletter_index-issues1-12.pdf

GENLOC Ottawa Pre-Conference (Janet Tomkins, 2008)

For more information about the IFLA GENLOCSection and its activities, please visit ourwebsite:

www.ifla.org/VII/s37/index.htm

Please email the Editor, GENLOC Newsletter at elizabeth.melrose@btinternet.com with any

contributions for or comments on theNewsletter