Genealogy Drop-in Help Online via Zoom to get started on a genealogy project or to complete a challenge. Request a convenient time. Online Resources These databases and more are available remotely with an NPL card number & PIN. Online Resources are available without a card on devices connected to NPL's WiFi network. NPL is a Family Search Affiliate Library. Connect to our WiFi to access restricted records.
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Nichols Library 200 W. Jefferson Ave. Naperville, Illinois 60540 95th Street Library 3015 Cedar Glade Dr. Naperville, Illinois 60564 Naper Boulevard Library 2035 S. Naper Blvd. Naperville, Illinois 60565 630-961-4100
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Located at the Prince William Public Library in Virginia contains genealogy and local history information from Virginia and Prince William County. These collections also specialize in the American Revolution and Civil War as they relate to Virginia. Assistance with accessing the collections are available through email at relic2@pwcgov.org and by phone at 703-792-8380. They also have online forms for requesting obituaries and for getting in touch with people researching common ancestors. On May 3rd they will make available a virtual introduction to their collections with the presentation 'RELIC: Welcome to the Collection - Databases", available here. Ancestry Library Edition home access through June 30, 2021 Access Naperville Public Library's online genealogy resources, including AncestryLibrary Edition, on our Genealogy & Local History page. Ancestry Library Edition includes worldwide records and access to public 'Family Trees' (linked in the filters on the left side of a search results page). For those who are new to family history exploration, the 'Learning Center' within Ancestry Library Edition has a 'Getting Started' section. The 'Census' section also provides instruction for getting the most out of those valuable records. Three additional skill-building resources are Creating a Family History Book Choosing a medium for sharing family history depends upon the type of information that you have collected, and which format will appeal to your particular audience. If you have collected and scanned numerous photos and documents, consider creating a photo-book. They make great gifts and conversation starters for upcoming events such as Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day. Online photo-book providers have templates, such as Mixbook's Our Family Lineage template. Template pages are included for displaying family trees, timelines, and vintage photos with a moderate amount of text. The process of uploading jpegs and placing images and text in templates is relatively quick, as are most delivery times. Jpegs must be high resolution, 300 DPI or higher print well. Provide scans with a higher DPI if a photo is to be enlarged. A 20 page soft cover book from an online service can cost as little as $15 with an introductory coupon. There are many more expensive options so it is worth shopping around. Another option is to use a local printer or a print-on-demand service to print a book you have designed yourself with page layout software. This software can offer greater editing control and advanced design options. Adobe InDesign is the software choice of most designer's and is available in NPL computer labs. A class for Adobe InDesign is available through the library periodically. Video tutorials for using Adobe InDesign are also available in LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) an NPL online resource. One tutorial example is "Designing a Book" by Nigel French. Apple Pages is another layout editor. It is available as a free download for both Mac and PC, and there are classes for that software in LinkedIn Learning. You might incorporate one of the free family tree templates provided by Family Search here or from WordLayouts here. To print a small number of books for family, print-on-demand services are the most cost effective. Print-on demand services include Lulu, Bookemon, and Blurb, to name just a few. Lulu has succinct guides for generic book and ebook layout and publishing here. Blurb provides an option to create a book or ebook with its free page layout software Bookwright. MyCanvas imports data, images, and documents from your personal Ancestry.com family tree into one standard template, with some editing available. Their prices start at $40 for a 20 page horizontal hardcover 11" x 8" book (the only size currently available). MyCanvas is revising their website. Stories to Tell, a higher priced option, provides editing, layout, and publishing services, and specializes in memoirs and family histories. Family history books can also be generated by genealogy software plug-ins such as 'RootsMagic Publisher' or Family Tree Maker's 'Family Book Creator'. A Family Book Creator book (pictured above) can display numbered family tree charts with facts, photos (including color) and notes for as many generations as you choose. Layout details and content choices are chosen from menus. Any documents you place in the 'Media' section for an individual, may also be included in the book. A table of contents and indexes to people and places are also generated. You can add pages from MS Word documents and edit details such as type styles and headers. Books are saved in the PDF format for sharing digitally or for home or professional printing (including print-on-demand). Narrative, text based family histories, biographies, and books based on diaries or letters might be shared as ebooks. The LinkedIn Learning course Ebook Foundations introduces best practices for creating and publishing 'reflowable' ebooks that can be resized for reading on a variety of devices or 'fixed layout' ebooks that can also be interactive 'multitouch ebooks' that include animation. The course introduces options for book production software, and explains the process to prepare, export, convert validate, and publish ebooks. The presenter, Anne-Marie Concepción, provides instruction on which file types, such as EPUB, PDF, or .mobi (Kindle), to use for specific devices, platforms, and audiences. She also provides tips for selling ebooks, such as creating an ISBN and creating store accounts for Kindle and iBooks. If you are interested in selling a book, consider that Amazon has 91% of the ebook market. A Naperville Public Library program that may be offered again, 'Self Publishing with Kindle Create' explained the free software used to prepare books for Amazon Digital Publishing. Amazon provides the free layout editor ‘Kindle Create’, which converts word processing documents and pdfs into ebooks. It has options for 'reflowable' and 'fixed layout' formats. For a book that is primarily text you can create a ‘reflowable’ ebook from a typical Word document file. For a 'fixed layout', like a picture book, you upload a PDF (which can contain active links and animation). For either format, most of your editing should be done before uploading. In Kindle Create, you can indicate chapter breaks, insert a table of contents, make small edits, and preview how your book will look on various devices. DNA Testing Considered for WWII Identifications According to the New York Times article "Can DNA Solve World War II Death Mysteries?" by Dave Philipps, DNA analysis is being considered for identifying WWII service members from unnamed graves. "The Defense Department has attempted to recover and identify all service members lost since World War II." The department has been starting with methods such as bone measurements and dental records. Now with less living relatives to sample, they are discussing DNA methods used by law enforcement to solve cold cases. "The agency's rules do not allow a body to be exhumed unless there is at least a 50 percent chance that the remains can be identified by doing so." Starting with DNA testing would be faster and cheaper, but a new policy would need to address the privacy issues that arise with DNA testing. According to Army DNA identification expert Timothy McMahon, a new policy could be coming soon. Read the full article in NPL's New York Times online resource here.
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by Thomas MacEntee | Fox Valley Genealogical Society Want to see first-hand how to break through that persistent “brick wall” in genealogy? Using actual research problems submitted by FVGS members, professional genealogist Thomas MacEntee will walk participants through a step-by-step research methodology process to find clues and possible solutions. Participants will have access to research logs, digital images and more during and after the webinar. Also included is a “habit recipe” to implement the same techniques used in the webinar on your own genealogy research. Thomas MacEntee is a genealogy professional specializing in using technology and social media to improve genealogy research and to connect with the family history community. He is the owner of High Definition Genealogy, and shares many of his articles and videos for free at GenealogyBargains.com! with author Libby Copeland | Naperville Public Library This interview style presentation will explore the extraordinary cultural phenomenon of home DNA testing, which is redefining family history. It will draw on Libby Copeland’s years of research for her new book The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are. With more than 37 million people having been tested, a tipping point has been reached. Virtually all Americans are affected whether they have been tested or not, and millions have been impacted by significant revelations in their immediate families. Libby Copeland is an award-winning journalist and author who writes from New York about culture and science. As a freelance journalist, she writes for such media outlets as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic and Smithsonian Magazine. Find Online Events ConferenceKeeper.org is a wonderful place to find virtual and in-person genealogy events nationwide. It is where many genealogy organizations and libraries post upcoming events, and the site has gained a large number of users in the past year. You can filter the events by subject and location. There is a time zone converter on the site as well.
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Print and eBook
This is a practical—and encouraging—how-to book from a long-time teacher of personal and family history writing. Katie Funk Wiebe helps beginning memoir writers get started collecting the stories of their lives. She gives hints for recalling distant memories and tracking down family heirlooms. This is a serious but accessible resource for undertaking your personal or family history writing. |
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Your Life is a Book: How to Craft & Publish Your Memoirby Brenda PetersonEveryone has a story to tell. Learn how to write your memoir and get published with the help of two well-known publishing professionals. Your Life is a Book guides budding writers though the transformative process of memoir writing to publication. In addition to exploring the unique elements of crafting a memoir--story arc, point of view, dialogue, where to start (not the beginning!)-Your Life is a Book also focuses on the self-exploration, awareness, and understanding that this emotional literary project triggers. With proven writing exercises and prompts, this book is a practical and enlightening guide to perfecting the art of memoir writing.
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The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Qreby Libby CopelandA journalist investigates the business practices of companies like Ancestry and 23andMe and explores the stories of individuals who participated in home genetic testing and had their lives turned upside down by the results.
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History for Genealogists: Using Chronological Time Lines to Find and Understand Your Ancestorsby Judy JacobsonUse this book to help color the local history of your ancestor. The author provides detailed timelines of events for specific locations, including states. When you view an ancestor's record, use this book for background context. History lays the foundation to understand a group of people. Genealogy lays the foundation to understand a person or family using tangible historic evidence.
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George Washington: The Political Rise of America's Founding Fatherby David O. StewartThe award-winning author of The Summer of 1787 traces the political evolution of George Washington, examining how he matured from a headstrong youth to the commander in chief of the Continental Army and unanimously elected first American President.
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Writing Your Family History: A Guide for Family Historiansby Gill BlanchardDesigned for anyone who wants to bring their ancestors' stories to life. She looks at ways of overcoming the particular problems family historians face when writing a family history--how to deal with gaps in knowledge, how to describe generations of people who did the same jobs or lived in the same area, how to cover the numerous births, marriages and deaths that occur, and when to stop researching and start writing.
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Explores the increasing popularity of personal DNA analysis by companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA and the unintended consequences of sharing our data with these rapidly growing online databases.
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