Los Angeles: 'It's Online' workshop, March 9

I have always encouraged Jewish genealogical societies to team up with local institutions such as museums, historical societies and others to present valuable programs to a wider audience. The Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles and the Skirball Cultural Center are doing just that in a half-day computer genealogy workshop from 1-5.30pm, Sunday, March 9.

"It's Online: Internet Sleuthing for the Family Genealogist" is part of the Skirball's "learning for life" adult education program.

Have you wondered where your family members came from in 'the old country'or what their lives were like when they immigrated to the United States? Are you longing to reconstruct your family tree to pass on toyour children, but think the process is too overwhelming ortime-consuming to tackle on your own? This one-day seminar aboutsearching online resources will give you the inspiration, motivation,and tools to begin your own research project.

JGSLA program chair and workshop moderator Pamela Weisberger has brought together three nationally recognized and excellent speakers. She is Gesher Galicia's research coordinator and IAJGS conference film festival coordinator. A special area of interest has been late 19th to early 20th century city directories, newspapers and court records.

Ron Arons
Online Odysseys: Exploring and Exploiting Internet Resources

"Best bet" websites beyond Steve Morse, Ellis Island and more, that allow one to find many other materials online, including historical documents, newspapers and articles, living people, incarcerated (black sheep) relatives, maps and photos, foreign language translators and aids to allow you to become a genealogy detective.

Born and raised in New York, Arons has traced his roots to England, Poland, Romania, the Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania. He has given presentations at five of the last six IAJGS conferences, to local JGSs, and at other conferences across the country. He has written articles for Avotaynu and his book, The Jews of Sing-Sing, will be published this spring. In January 2008, he appeared in the PBS documentary "The Jewish Americans." A computer industry veteran, Arons earned degrees from Princeton; he's an expert on prison records as sources for genealogical research.

Suzanne Russo Adams
Advanced Ancestry: Searching Like a Pro!

A genealogist's paradise - more than 3 billion names, 10 million U.S. Federal Census images and over 23,000 genealogical and historical databases make Ancestry.com one of the world's most-used genealogy website. Learn how to better use Ancestry's search technology to find your ancestors. Are you totally new to the process? Now is your chance to learn from an Ancestry expert. Learn valuable tips, tricks and techniques to help you get the most out of Ancestry's search capabilities. Take your genealogical skills to the next level.

An accredited genealogist, Adams is a Brigham Young University graduate with degrees in sociology and family history/genealogy. She currently works as the Professional Services Desk Manager for Ancestry.com and previously worked in both electronic production and content acquisition for more than eight years at Ancestry.com. She serves on the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and Utah Genealogical Association (UGA) Boards.

Beau Sharbrough
Footnote.com: Bringing History to Life

Footnote.com has scored praise in the online world by bringing history to users' fingertips by providing hands-on access to high-quality scans of previously inaccessible primary sources and National Archives records which can be searched, downloaded and annotated. This real-time demonstration will demonstrate how to navigate the portals of historical documentation to bring your family research alive.

A popular writer and lecturer on technology in genealogy, and an expert on searching the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, he is a representative of the historical documents website Footnote. A former president of GENTECH, he worked on tree products at Ancestry.com,

Also, the film, "Past Lives: The Stanley Diamond Story will be shown

The quest of Canadian genealogist Stan Diamond to reconstruct his family to solve a genetic medical mystery led to the creation of the largest index in the world of specifically Jewish vital Records - Jewish Records Indexing Poland. This database has helped countless researchers discover their roots and had reunited families separated for decades because of the Holocaust.

Fee: Skirball/JGSLA members, $20; students, $15; others, $25. Register online here, click "What's On," then click "Courses: Winter 2008."