Friday, April 15, 2016

Online Genealogy Courses



Following up on one of the things we talked about at our last meeting, Ellie has shared a link to a free, online genealogy course, Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree. It's a six-week course that started on 14 March, but you can still jump in if you like. It is sponsored by the University of Strathclyde Glasgow. You have just gotta love the internet! How else could a family history researcher from Charleston go to school in Scotland!



If you go to the Genealogical Studies section of Strathclyde's website, you will find even more resources you can tap. Some of the classes and resources are free, some require payment. The average paid course costs about £125 ($175 at the current exchange rate).

They have an extensive online library - a digital archive of articles and reference material - and many other things worth exploring.

It has been my experience that taking a class, attending a seminar or webinar, or listening to a lecture on genealogy always re-lights my passion for, and knowledge of, the world of genealogy.  

If you want to explore more local possibilities (although if I can access something through my computer, that's pretty local ....) check out Family Tree University's online catalog of courses.  There, you can search for courses by experience level and/or subject matter.  The courses there average about $100, but as someone who has attending a number of their classes or webinars - I can tell you - they are worth every $$$.

After our last meeting, someone asked me where/how I learned all the stuff I know about genealogy.  A lot just comes from experience.  Some comes from leads to great resources, like the one Ellie has provided us, but most of it just comes from my own curiousity.  I ask a lot of questions (Google is a very good source), I take classes online, I attend seminars and webinars, and I read.  Most of this was accomplished without ever leaving my desk.  



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