Books: AJL announces 2011 reference, bibliography awards

The Research Libraries, Archives, and Special Collections Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) has announced the 2011 winners of its Judaica Reference and Bibliography Awards.

The awards will be presented at the AJL’s 46th Annual Convention banquet, on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at the Marriott Montréal Château Champlain (Montréal, Québec).

Tracing the Tribe is also delighted to have been chosen to speak on Sephardic research at the conference. I’m looking forward to seeing our Montreal cousins and gen friends during my visit.

Reference

-- The winner is The Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World (Brill). Edited by Dr. Norman Stillman of the University of Oklahoma, the five-volume work is the first English-language reference that deals with a part of Jewish history that is obscure and inaccessible for many readers. It opens a new window into this world and will inevitably generate more research and interest in the field. An online version is currently available as well. For more information, click here.

-- The Eerdman's Dictionary of Early Judaism, edited by John J. Collins and Daniel C. Harlow, received an honorable mention. It is an essential reference in a field of study that has rapidly expanded in recent decades. For more information, click here.

Bibliography

-- The winner is The Bibliography of Jews in the Islamic World (Brill). Edited by María Angeles Gallego, Heather Bleaney and Pablo García Suárez, it is an important contribution to the study of Jews in the Islamic World due to its thematic and geographical scopes, especially considering the difficulties in covering such a diverse field and multitude of languages. For more information, click here.

Dr. Greta Silver (New York City) and Eric Chaim Kline (Los Angeles) sponsor the annual awards.

For more information on the awards, including past winners, click here.

The awards committee includes Michlean Amir (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum), Yoram Bitton (Columbia University), Rachel Leket-Mor (Arizona State University), Daniel Rettberg (Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati), Pinchas Roth (Hebrew University), Rachel Simon (Princeton University), and Daniel Scheide, chair (Florida Atlantic University).

The AJL promotes Jewish literacy through enhancement of libraries and library resources and through leadership for the profession and practitioners of Judaica librarianship, while fostering access to information, learning, teaching and research relating to Jews, Judaism, the Jewish experience and Israel.

For more information on the conference, visit the AJL site.

UK: Tracing the Tribe noted in gen mag

When one is recuperating from a bug, it is nice to hear from friends providing good news.

Such was the case with two emails in two days - from geneablogger FootnoteMaven and Jeremy Frankel (president of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society - both informing Tracing the Tribe that we were featured in the spring issue of the UK genealogy magazine, Your Family Tree.

Jeremy, now visiting in the UK, is bringing back a copy of the issue for us.

Alan Crosby wrote an excellent article about genealogy blogging and mentioned the "Top Three: Unsung Heroes," including Tracing the Tribe.

It was very nice to be recognized alongside Heritage of Wales and The Victorianist.

His story noted another good friend - Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers.com. Crosby mentioned that Thomas now lists some 1,200 categorized genealogy blogs, but a more accurate count is now in the neighborhood of 1,700!

Dick Eastman and other US and UK geneabloggers were mentioned in the story, which gave a nuts and bolts take on setting up a genealogy blog.

It also shows off Tracing the Tribe's logo, designed by the above-mentioned - and very talented - FootnoteMaven!

Thank you, Alan Crosby!

NGS: "Where the Past is Still Present," May 11-14

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2011 event is set for Charleston, South Carolina, from May 11-14. This year's theme is "Where the Past is Still Present."

Tracing the Tribe is proud to be among more than 75 speakers presenting more than 180 programs at this year's event, and looks forward to greeting readers in Charleston.

NGS issued the following press release:

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) selected Charleston, South Carolina, for its 2011 Family History Conference in part to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War which began with Confederate artillery firing upon Fort Sumter 12 April 1861.

If a member of your family served for the Union or Confederate forces, the NGS 2011 Family History Conference will provide a number of lectures about researching Civil War records and learning more about the lives of your ancestors.

The four-day conference, 11-14 May 2011, will be held at the Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston, SC 29418.

More than 75 nationally recognized speakers will provide over 180 lectures on a wide variety of topics including research in South Carolina and the surrounding states, migration patterns, ethnic research, religious records, research methodology and problem solving.

Lectures about Civil War research will include: records of the Confederate conscription office, life on the battlefields, the service of Native Americans and African Americans, the Southern Claims Commission, confederate pardon and amnesty records, prisoner of war records, Civil War pension records, facilities for disabled soldiers, and analysis of photographs from the war.

Two lectures will also review many of the websites available for military research.

The NGS banquet on Friday night will feature Stephen B. Bacon, Major USAF (retired), speaking on “Separating Fact from Myth: A Look at the US Civil War from Both Sides.”

For more details and a copy of the conference registration brochure, click here.

An exhibit area with more than 100 exhibitors will be open and free to the public Wednesday through Saturday and will include the latest in genealogical software, online research providers and DNA testing services.

Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogy education, high research standards, and the preservation of genealogical records.

The Arlington, VA-based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, research guidance, and opportunities to interact with other genealogists.

For more information, visit the NGS Pressroom.

Tracing the Tribe looks forward to greeting readers in Charleston.

Grant: Student genealogy grant recipient named

The recipient of the 2011 Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant was announced by Denise Levenick.

College sophomore Anthony Ray (Palmdale, California) will receive a $500 cash award and free three-day registration to the 2011 Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree conference - June 10-12 - in Burbank, California.

The 2011 Grant is the first awarded by the Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Fund, which was founded in 2010 to assist young genealogists seeking to advance their genealogical education.


Genealogists ages 18-25, attending school within the last year, and attending the SCGS Jamboree were eligible to apply for the 2011 Grant. In recognition of Suzanne Freeman’s enthusiasm for the nationally recognized Jamboree, this year’s award was directed to help a student attend the SCGS Jamboree genealogy conference.


“We are excited to find many young people becoming involved in genealogy and family history, and delighted to help a student attend a conference such as the SCGS Jamboree. We especially appreciate the Jamboree committee’s support of this project by donating a full three-day conference registration to the grant recipient,” comments Denise Levenick, daughter of Suzanne Freeman and genealogy writer/blogger The Family Curator.

Ray heads the Antelope Valley Genealogical Society cemetery indexing project and is a volunteer researcher assisting with Hispanic research at the Palmdale Family History Center. This will be his first time attending the SCGS Jamboree. He is a music studies sophomore at West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California.

Tracing the Tribe asks where are all the Jewish genealogical societies and personalities who should be encouraging our own young researchers in the same manner?

Montreal: 'Reliving lives, past and present,' March 16

Architect-author David Reich will speak on "Reliving Our Lives - Past & Present," at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal in association with the Jewish Public Library, on Wednesday, March 16.

The meeting begins at 7.30pm at the Gelber Conference Centre, 5151 Cote Ste-Catherine/1 Carré Cummings.

David Reich was born and seasoned in Montreal. He abandoned a 60 year career as an architect in many countries to enjoy the pleasures and disappointments of writing. Reich has done family research, with an unusual and creative family tree to prove it. During his reclining years he self-published 10 books and convinced an unsuspecting editor to issue his latest opus.

He'll also be signing copies of his book,“You Could Lose an Eye – my first 80 years in Montreal,” an account of his family history.

For more information and future programs, visit the JGS of Montreal.

Seattle: Using Ancestry.com to locate Jewish ancestors, March 14

Crista Cowan will present "Using Ancestry.com to Locate Your Jewish Ancestors" for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State.

The two-hour program begins at 7pm at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island; wi-fi and the JGS library will be available.Admission: JGSWS members, free; others, $5.

Cowan is the community alliance manager for the Ancestry World Archives Project.

She will share go-to sources and hidden gems to help you grow your family tree. Learn about the newer additions that provide data on Jewish ancestors. In an interactive forum, she will use personal and audience case studies to give insight into powerful resource, how to access them, and know when to use them. Ancestry.com is available free at all Seattle and King County libraries and at the National Archives

Cowan has been involved in family history research for more than two decades and actively engaged in client research since 2002. Her specialties include Jewish immigration , descendancy research, and sharing family history with the genealogically challenged. She is the owner of Legacy Family History Services, and has been employed at Ancestry.com since 2004.

For directions and more information, see the JGSWS website.

Southern Caifornia: Family History Library research, March 6

The Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County has arranged an assisted research afternoon at the Los Angeles Family History Library on Sunday, March 6.

This special program runs from 1-5pm, at the library, 10741 Santa Monica Blvd. West Los Angeles. Parking is free. It is open only to current paid JGSCV members, although anyone may join or renew memberships at the door.

This special program is open only to current dues paid members of JGSCV! Anyone may join or renew their membership with JGSCV at the door.

Experienced JGSCV members and Family History Library volunteers will be available to help attendees get the most out of the ibrary's resources, including computer assistance with popular genealogical databases including Ancestry.com, Footnote.com, Heritage Quest, World Vital Records, Godfrey Memorial Library on-line resources and more.

The recently-renovated facility has increased the number of computers.

Resources include Eastern European Jewish microfilms (and others), maps, gazetteers and the JGS of Los Angeles' library. Bring research documents with you. along with a flash drive to download electronic images of online images. Hard copying is also available.

Library volunteer and JGSLA librarian Barbara Algaze will provide an introduction to the resources.

Please note that the program is open only to current dues-paid members of JGSCV. Anyone may join at the door. Annual dues are $25 for an individual and $30 for a family.

For more information, visit the JGSCV website.

Back home again!

It is great to be back home again in New Mexico!

WDYTYA Live 2011 was a great experience - despite feeling a bit under the weather - and I managed to see some of my Bombay Dardashti cousins and Persian and British friends.

Genner personalities also included Lisa Louise Cooke (blogging for Family Tree magazine), photo detective Maureen Taylor, and Dick Eastman. Dick will be back in the UK in about six weeks for the one-name guild event.

Tracing the Tribe, of course, will be back in the UK in May for the Society of Genealogists' Centenary Conference and the JGS of Great Britain's Manchester one-day conference, followed by the National Genealogical Society's event in Charleston.

I'm trying to get things organized during March, while at home.

I'm already looking forward to next year's event. Wondering when the NBC version of the show will spawn a US-version of WDYTYA Live here at home. The event is so different from what we experience here at gen conferences and it might really take off as it would attract those who are really just beginning and want a "gen lite" experience.

Even better, our daughter arrived yesterday for a visit. Unfortunately, she seems to have the "bug" that is going around New York (and many other places!).

Chicken soup seems to be on the menu over the next few days, and also hoping it helps take care of this still coughing blogger and the bug from Salt Lake City!

Sorting through what seems like a thousand emails, notices from Jamboree, submissions to other conferences.