Sharpen the Saw Month

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

February is a great time to focus on genealogy learning opportunities. Let’s look at some of the genealogy webinars and sessions that are available. 

​RootsTech 2024. One of the big learning opportunities coming up soon is RootsTech 2024 (Home • RootsTech • FamilySearch). If you are joining the event virtually this is a free event that is scheduled February 29th-March 2nd. Take some time to figure out what sessions you’d like to “attend.” There will also be virtual sessions that you can view later. I enjoy listening to keynote speakers too.
 
FamilySearch Learning Center • FamilySearch  There are a plethora of free courses to view at the FamilySearch Learning Center.
 
Local genealogical societies. The one positive thing that occurred with covid is the increased access to online webinars and online presentations. The Ontario Genealogical Society (Ontario Ancestors – The Ontario Genealogical Society (ogs.on.ca)) and their branches have many free webinars available. Most are free to OGS members or for a nominal fee for nonmembers. For example, I’m attending one regarding transcribing old English records. This two-evening course is $20—very reasonable. I recently attended one that talked about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Genealogy which was informative. See if your local society offers classes.
 
Legacy Family Tree Webinars - live and recorded genealogy webinars. This is a paid site for webinars and classes. Try searching “free” as occasionally they offer free webinars.
 
Local Library. Many times, local libraries offer courses on family history and genealogy. They often partner with local experts and have both in person and online offerings.
 
Browse - Ancestry Academy  Ancestry has a series of on demand videos on a variety of genealogy topics. According to their site, these are free videos—since I have an Ancestry membership, I can’t confirm that is the case for a non-member.
 
Genealogy For Beginners - MyHeritage Knowledge Base. If you are new to genealogy, MyHeritage offers a free course for beginners.
 
Home - National Genealogical Society (ngsgenealogy.org)  The National Genealogical Society has courses ($) that you can attend virtually plus they are offering their virtual workshop in May. You can find more information about registration and cost from the link above.
 
YouTube. You can find more genealogy and family history videos than you and I could watch in a lifetime. Search for genealogy or family history or a related topic to see your many options.
As family historians we are busy gathering more information, writing down family stories (hopefully), and sharing that information with family and friends. Take some time to update your skills and invest in yourself this month. Happy Learning!