Thanks to all our loyal readers!  We have decided to combine this blog with our Collections Blog and just have one.  Please follow the link to the new Blog:  http://ohiohistory.wordpress.com/

The Ohio Historical Society has taken steps to deal with significant budget shortfalls for the remainder of this year and in the next fiscal year (beginning July 1, 2008).  Information about those actions is included in the April 11, 2008 press release, available at: http://www.ohiohistory.org/about/pr/041108a.html   

The Society’s Archives/Library operations are affected in the following ways:

Archives/Library Reading Room Hours

The Ohio Historical Society will continue to offer twenty-four hours of public access per week. To be consistent with the new Ohio Historical Center hours, the Archives/Library Reading Room will change its public hours to Thursday 1-9, Friday 9-5, and Saturday 9-5. This will provide researchers with three consecutive days of public access. While hours of operation will move from Wednesday to Friday, there will be no reduction in public hours. These changes are effective May 1, 2008. (The Archives/Library will not be open to the public on Wednesday, April 30, but will open Friday, May 1).

Conservation

The Ohio Historical Society will suspend its in-house paper conservation operations beginning April 14, 2008. The Society will continue to maintain and preserve collections, employing accepted techniques and best practices, and will seek outside expertise for collections requiring intensive conservation treatment.

Microfilm

While the Ohio Historical Society will continue its microfilm program, the in-house microfilm operations will be discontinued as of April 14, 2008. The Society is finalizing an agreement with OCLC Preservation Service Centers to provide preservation-quality microfilming through a partnership with OCLC, a recognized leader in library and preservation services. By partnering with OCLC, the Society will be able to provide high-quality microfilming. In addition, the Society will be able to achieve efficiencies in pricing by serving as a clearinghouse for microfilm activities in the state. OHS will continue to provide duplication services of its microfilm collections held by the Society. This arrangement will not affect the storage of and access to microfilm collections held by OHS.

State Archives

The Society is grateful for the advocacy support that helped convince the State to provide more funding for State Archives in the current state operating budget.  OHS is committed to re-building State Archives operations based on that support. State Archives will retain all current staff positions and will hire an electronic records archivist position in the coming months.

The Society’s museum, program and site operations are also affected by these budget reductions. For more information, see the main press release at http://www.ohiohistory.org/about/pr/041108a.html

We appreciate your support and concern. Access to the “real stuff” of history is a core value of the Society. You can continue to voice your support for state funding of our Archives/Library operations and other OHS services by communicating with the Governor and your state representative and senator.  Information about how to do so is available on the Society’s web site (www.ohiohistory.org).

Thanks again for your support.    

GW3

Trip through Time with the Census

March 20, 2008, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Census records are the key to adding real life to your family history. They contain a wealth of family and social information and rank next to vital statistics in their value to the genealogist. This course examines the data within a census and the relationship of that data with information in other census records. It identifies specific census data elements and schedules of special importance to the genealogist. It discusses census availability, uses of indices, special finding aids, and the Internet and explains how maps and directories can be used to supplement census data. 

GW14

Newspaper Research for Genealogists

April 3, 2008, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Newspapers contain vast amounts of family history information beyond obituaries yet are often overlooked as a resource.  This class will cover birth, death and marriage announcements as well as legal notices, estate, land, and tax information and community “gossip” columns.  We will also discuss search strategies for locating newspaper holdings at the Ohio Historical Society through the online catalog. 

GW20

Religious Records and Roots

May 10, 2008, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Church and synagogue records often provide valuable information for the family historian. However, tracking a church through the centuries can be a complicated process.  This class will explore types of existing records according to a denomination’s customs and potential locations of these records, covering both published and unpublished resources.   

GW18B
More Land Office Records in Ohio
May 15, 2008, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

This course will identify where public land offices were located in Ohio and describe what records kept at each office provide necessary information to determine who first purchased land, and when payments were made.  Emphasis is on the description of land survey (field notes and measurements), entry, and payment records at the Ohio Historical Society and how to best use them.   

GW5

Military History Resources and the Family Historian

May 17, 2008, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Military records generate from three different kinds of status: pre-service, actual service, and post-service. Basically these records fall into three categories: draft or selective service records, service records, and benefit records. This course reviews the different kinds of records that apply to each status in relation to a particular conflict.  Draft records, military service records, pension files, rosters and militia records are discussed in detail. You will learn what information is in these records, how the information was obtained, where the records are located and how to access them.  OHS holdings will be highlighted with examples of original records available in the Archives/Library. 

GW19

Genealogy Forum

June 7, 2008, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Have you ever wanted to get expert advice on how to solve the unsolvable in your family history research? This is your chance to grill the professionals. Join us for an open discussion of search strategies, hidden treasures and hard to find records. Come prepared with your own research mysteries or just listen and learn from others.

Panelists will include representatives of the OHS Research Services staff, Franklin County Genealogical and Historical Society and other experts.

Our Genealogy Wokshop series continues with several new topics and several old favorites!  

All sessions will be held at OHS.  Saturday sessions are held from 10 am to 12 pm, Thursday sessions from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Sign up online at: 

 http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/archlib/genworkshops.html

COST:  $15.00 for members of OHS, FCHGS and OGS and $20.00 for non-members 

January

GW18A           Introduction to Land Office Records in Ohio 
January 26, 2008, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Do you think that your ancestor may have bought land from the United States government or received a Revolutionary War bounty?  This course describes the differences between a bounty, a direct sale, a grant, and a homestead, and provides a description of how land was divided in Ohio.  The course points out where lands were available in Ohio to Revolutionary War veterans and describes how to determine who claimed Revolutionary bounty lands and how to locate individual claims.  Original records will be used to illustrate grants and surveys and all seven original land surveys will be covered.  This is a broad introduction to land records and will serve those just beginning research in this area.

February
GW2    Cornerstones of Genealogy 
February 9, 2008, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
This course establishes the foundation for all further genealogical research.  It provides the beginning genealogist or family historian with the scope, understanding, and sources of information used to prepare a family tree or family history.  Describes the uses and sources of Vital Statistics, Census Records, Land Records, and Probate Files. Includes topics such as military records, church records, identifying female ancestors, importance of source documentation, newspapers, family portraits, obscure sources, and record preservation. Summarizes special types of records available to add body to the basic information.

GW1    Family History Sources at OHS           
February 16, 2008, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Offers an in-depth look at the OHS holdings and their use in genealogy. Areas include Ohio public records, historical manuscript and audiovisual sources, and other unusual materials.  This session is ideal for those who want to find out more about the sources in the Archives/Library.

March
GW25  DNA – The “Gene” in Genealogy
March 1, 2008, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Would you like to discover the origins of your family?  Are you related to another family that conventional research hasn’t been able to confirm or deny?   Is your existing paper trail backed-up with DNA proof?  Genetic Genealogy is the latest tool available to begin, or add to, your family research and identify unrelated lines thus saving you precious hours or even years of research.    Come discover how DNA testing can open a whole new window of information and help guide you on your quest for your family roots.   GW4    Understanding the Probate Process
March 15, 2008, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
When a person is deceased the probate process prescribes the disposition of his or her assets. Very often the probate file is a veritable gold mine of genealogical information This course describes the probate process both when there is a will and when no will exists. It explains the legal language involved so that one is able one to recognize various documents and understand their purpose. The value of other court cases as genealogical date sources is also discussed as well as the relevance of land records involved in probate. The course includes a description of land surveys and land record files with their location in the courthouse.

Check out the newest additions to our Local Government Records holdings!  We have recently catalogued microfilm from the following counties:  Allen, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Gallia, Guernsey, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Meigs, Morgan, Monroe, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, and Washington. 

This film represents both recent acquisitions from the Ohio University Network Center and unprocessed Genealogical Society of Utah microfilm.

The new Microfilm Reading Room is ready for us to start moving cabinets. 

This won’t happen ’til Monday.  We can’t wait!

As of today, the Rare Book Room is officially kaput.  The electricians are working to install the new outlets (at waist height, so no more crawling around on the floor to plug in your laptop) and to get the ceiling lights just right.  We are very excited about the emergency lights, so when the fryers go on at the State Fair and the building goes dark, the Microfilm Room will have ample generator-fed lighting.

 The new floor plan will group the microfilm cabinets at one end and the viewing machines at the other, which will make it easier to find a staff person to help out when you can’t get the film to behave.  Today we got the first shipment of new microfilm cabinets (new to us, these were empty cabinets sitting in our Youngstown facility).  All told we will add 12 new cabinets, each with a five drawer extension on top.  And do we have plans for these!

This coming fall and spring the newspaper and government records collections are going to be growing in leaps and bounds, so keep an eye on the OCC (online catalog)! 

So stay tuned for more pictures on Monday!

The Archives/Library will be moving the Microfilm Reading Room from its current location off the 3rd floor lobby to an area right next to the Main Reading Room.  Researchers will lose no access time with the newspaper and government records stored there, however, as the move is currently scheduled to happen on October 29th and 30th.  Researchers coming in Wednesday October 31, should find the new arrangement all set up for them with no interruption in service. 

The current Microfilm Reading Room will then become staff offices for the State Archives.   

October is Archives Month, a celebration of archives and special collections around the state and across the country.  In Ohio, this year’s theme is Reunions: Together in the Archives.  Reunions celebrate connections between people within a family, school, religion, organization, town or city.  Most people associate reunions with a gathering of people from their own past but the exhibits, events and even the poster for this year’s Archives Month expand this theme in interesting and amusing ways.  Check out the list of events for this month at http://www.ohioarchivists.org/aweek.html and download your own Archives Month 2007 poster.  Teachers, librarians and archivists can request a full size poster by emailing us at aoneal@ohiohistory.org with your institution name and mailing address.

To better serve your genealogy needs, we are conducting a survey to determine the interest level in a class concerning researching women in the ancestral tree. Please take a moment to complete the survey so we can get a solid understanding of what is needed to conduct a successful workshop. At the end of the survey please take the opportunity to suggest subjects and ideas you would like to see offered in a workshop at the Ohio Historical Society.

Thank you for your time and consideration.  Here is the link to the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=DtZlHDzYSnBgzjj0GD6amg_3d_3d