Dramatic Changes in LDS Family History Announced at #RootsTech 2016

In a special meeting open only to specifically invited Priesthood leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints some fundamental changes to the way family history has been done in the Church were announced. The meeting was held in conjunction with the Family Discovery Day activities at #RootsTech 2016 and before the general meeting

Although I obviously did not attend the meeting, I was able to talk to a Stake President who did and he confirmed some of the things we had learned in a meeting with FamilySearch last July. My wife and I had been waiting to find out when the sweeping new changes would be implemented. In conjunction with the changes there are new materials that will be made available over the next few months. Those attending the meeting were the Stake Presidents and their wives from the Salt Lake and Utah Valleys areas.

You can begin to see what is going on by viewing the Family Discovery Day 2016 Sessions on the LDS.org website. You should certainly watch the video and also encourage everyone around you to watch the video which, by the way, is over three hours long.

#RootsTech 2016 Day Three (for me) Summing up so far

I have been as busy as usual at #RootsTech 2016. As I have mentioned previously, I am writing most of my comments on Genealogy's Star, so check there for new posts. I will try to add a few comments here from time to time. I have had some very interesting experiences this past week with the FamilySearch.org Family Tree. Here are some summary observations:

• The so-called "green arrows" or "green Temple icons" are rapidly disappearing
• FamilySearch is making some headway on the duplicate entry issue but is still a ways off from solving the problem completely
• Record hints are a big topic and there will be further developments to assure that the hints are more accurately attached to individuals in the Family Tree
• There is a huge focus on indexing more records with an emphasis on non-English records
• The Record Hints so far have been directed to English language hints and the accuracy of the non-English Record Hints is still very low and will improve. 
• There will be constant upgrading of all of the components of the FamilySearch.org website

Of course, more later. 

#RootsTech 2016 -- What's new and What's hot

It is really time to look at what is new in family history. #RootsTech 2016 gives us an insight into the newest developments and trends. The last two days, I have been spending a lot of time listening and talking about the new technology. Between the BYU Family History Technology Workshop and the Innovators Summit I am attending today. I have gotten a bird's eye view of the direction the technology is going. Here is a list of some of the topics so far. Of course, I now have an extensive list of blog topics for the future.

• Handwriting recognition
• Document enhancement for hard to read old manuscripts
• Enhanced and extended hinting technologies 
• Increasing useful and portable digitalization platforms
• Artificial intelligence enhanced support for research
• Increased integration of audio, video and other media

Much of the newer technology is being investigated by the BYU Family History Technology Lab. In addition, #RootsTech 2016 is giving a platform for these emergent technologies for those who interested around the world. 

#RootsTech 2016- Day Two (for me) The Innovators Summit

Well, actually, the BYU Family History Technology Workshop is more of an innovative event, however, it it is possible the presentations were more technical than anything else that will be shown at #RootsTech 2016. As usual, this year, I will try and write during the conference and report my impressions. But I am also compiling a long list of blog topics for the future. I suggest checking with Genealogy's Star for additional information. I will try and post on both blogs but I suspect I will have more to say on Genealogy's Star.

BYU Family History Technology Workshop -- Addressing the problems and looking for solutions

My first day of the #RootsTech 2016 week begins with the Brigham Young University (BYU) Family History Technology Workshop. This one day event is celebrating its 17th year. The morning session involved a keynote and a series of very short, five minute, Lightning Talks. The first set of talks and the keynote, by Professor Amy Harris of BYU, dealt with the problems genealogists perceive as important. I will be writing a series of blog posts about these issues in the near future. Here is the list of the issues addressed:

• Dallan Quass: Tree Quality
• Mark Clement: Duplicate Removal
• James Tanner: Data Transfer
• Heath Nielson: Data Extraction from Historical Documents
• Scott Woodfield: I Have No Control over My Own Information

The next section of the workshop involved another series of Lightning Talks from the developers of genealogically based software apps or programs. Here us the list of presenters.

• Wesley Eames, AncestorCloud
• Corey Spray, Story Tags
• James Tanner, The Family History Guide
• Laura Stevens, Goze
• Kirsten Wright, Kid Chatteroo
• Todd Webb, KnowtIt
• Scott Halversen, Studio by Legacy Republic
• Mark Jones, Timsent
• Chris Cummings, Pass It Down
• Steve Mineer, Wiithu
• Cory Hansen, My Legacy My Story
• Joshua Mathias, Grandma's Pie
• Kevin King, Wheel of Fortune
• Justin Rasband and Tom Sederberg, One Page Genealog

You can see that this was a busy morning.

Mesa FamilySearch Library plans two conferences

I guess the assessment of the Mesa FamilySearch Library as possibly mostly dead was premature. Not only have they been operating out of the old, much smaller building just west of the Mesa, Arizona Temple, but they have also held a very successful conference in October of 2015 and now plan two more conferences in early 2016. Here is the official announcement.

The Mesa AZ FamilySearch Library is pleased to announce two Family History Conferences coming up in February and March, 2016. The first conference will be held on Saturday, February 20, at the Red Mountain Institute building on the Maricopa Community College Red Mountain campus. This facility is located near the 202 and McKellips Road, at 7126 E McKellips Road, Mesa. The second conference will be held on Saturday, March 12, at the Peoria North LDS Stake Center on 22034 North 83rd Avenue in Peoria. Both conferences will offer classes from morning through late afternoon. Lunches may be purchased. Register online now for the February 20th conference at www.mesafsl.org. Registration for the March 12th conference will be available in mid-February. Please join us.

Here is the explanation of the opening of the Training Center also.

Training Center Open
464 E. 1st Ave., Mesa, AZ
Hours at the Training Center :
- Monday 9-5
-Tuesday and Wednesday 10-6
There are 44 computers, 2 scan-pro film readers, 2 mechanical film readers (film can once again be ordered short term to the Library), a photo scanner, and a "Life Story" room to record your history (by appointment).
In addition, a family history consultant and priesthood training class will begin Tuesday, January 5, at 7 pm at the Training Center and run each Tuesday for a 4-week period. Everyone is invited.

If you have questions or need to make an appointment, please call 480-962-9611.

It looks like they are making the best of a limited space and getting back into operation.

My Family Organizer! App -- First of many I highlight this week

Not all of the family history apps that are being developed show up in the FamilySearch.org App Gallery. Some can be found in the Apple App Store or in the Google Play Store. An example of one such app is the My Family Organizer! by App Developers, LLC. Here is the description of the app from the Apple App Store.

We all need help keeping our lives organized. . . .
My Family Organizer© is a great way to start organizing your family. It will help you:
• Inspire the people you love
• Connect your extended family
• Organize family pictures and stories
• Keep track of names, dates, places
• Build on your past success
Our goal in creating this app is to build strong and successful families. Families that are well-balanced, healthy, and happy with their accomplishments.
Our mantra and the formula we use to accomplish this goal is "Remember the past, live in the present, plan for the future!" Or as Thomas S. Monson said "The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it."
Remember the Past
Inspired by the FamilySearch booklet "My Family: Stories That Bring Us Together," the My Family Organizer© provides a simple and engaging way to capture and preserve your family pictures and stories.
Live in the Present
The My Family Organizer© gives families a common platform to collect, organize and share family treasures, an easy way to collaborate, and powerful tools to build individual success.
Plan for the Future
Our strategic plan is to provide an increasing number of features that foster and encourage goal setting, lifelong learning, steady employment, planning for retirement, and that develop good character, daily routines, and successful habits.

I am not sure you can classify this type of app as a "genealogy" program but it seems to be aimed at the same market as many of the other "apps" being presented at #RootsTech 2016.  During the coming week and following weeks, I will be trying to highlight as many apps and programs as I can, even some that may not be prominently displayed at #RootTech 2016. It will unlikely that I can actually try out some of these programs, but my idea is to at least mention as many as I can.