Family history leads - where to from here?

I've decided to use Google Blogger as the means for telling the stories of my family and ancestors and as you can imagine, was very interested to read in the Bookmarks feature in the December 2012 issue of the Western Ancestor, that The New Zealand Genealogist (August 2012) featured an article entitled Blogging your family history.

The article was informative with many helpful tips and ideas and because I'm always interested to find out how other societies disseminate information about the services and resources they provide, examined the issue more thoroughly. It's an excellent publication and well worth a look.

New Zealand connections are not necessary, it contains lots of helpful articles and reviews of interest to any family historian. WAGS holdings can be found on the shelves in the WAGS library at - P 993 NEW.

The New Zealand Society of Genealogists is to New Zealand, what WAGS is to Western Australia. You might be interested to know that the annual membership fee for the NZSG is $69NZ (equivalent to $60Au) WAGS membership fee is $55Au.

A visit to the WAGS Library is free, a visit to the NZSG library costs NZ$5.00 ($4.30Au) on EVERY occasion.

What really surprised me was that the NZSG Library provides access to less subscription websites (online libraries) than does WAGS and shortly our Library will be providing access to the NSW Family History Document Service providing over 30,000 pages of online records reproduced from the Mitchell Library [State Library of NSW], Dixon Library [University of New England], NSW State Records and the University of New England and Regional Archives.

In addition, as soon as Deceased Online has implemented a voucher system as payment for lookups, we will be providing access to their records at WAGS in the same way as is done with Scotland's People.

WAGS Library is free to members

This leads me to the WAGS Library, your library free to access if you are a member. It is a marvellous resource and we will be working very hard in 2013 to keep you constantly informed and up to date with what we have and what services we provide.

For instance

• are you aware that the Library catalogue (ALICE) can now be accessed on our website?
• that there are 824 data sets currently loaded on to the Electronic Document Repository (EDR) and available on all computers at WAGS and that you can view the available titles on our website?
• That over a 100 data sets which cannot be loaded on to the EDR are now available on WAGS computers?
• That a listing of new additions to the Library can be found on the WAGS website?
• That LDS (Church of the Latter Day Saints) records can be ordered and viewed at the WAGS Library?
• That members have free access to seven subscription websites with more subscriptions planned?
• That commencing in 2013, we will be making available on our website, the contents pages of the major genealogical and family history journals?
• That a series of "How to find..........." sheets will be gradually produced and made available both in-house and on our website as well as tips and articles about  using the various subscription websites?

During the Library closure over the Christmas/New Year break, changes have been made to the layout of Unit 6. 

What's been achieved so far is great but it's a work in progress. If you want to see what's been happening, schedule a visit to our air conditioned premises.

In addition, if you want to help and be a part of what's planned, please contact me (my email address is on the inside front cover of the Western Ancestor or can be found in the Contact Us section of the website). 

Additional help is always needed and appreciated not only by the Library, but by other areas of WAGS Projects, Education, IT, PR. etc.

How did I get to this point?

Well, my chasing up the article about blogging lead me to a journal whose future issues I will continue to peruse. It also lead me to finding out about the NZSG.

This in turn, lead me to explore what our Society, WAGS, offers its members - the return on your $55 is excellent.

In 2013, make a resolution to get the most out of your Society and perhaps make a contribution as well.

I guarantee, one thing leads to another, ................... it always does

Julie Martin

Hon Librarian