Our latest Webinar: DNA for Genealogists - The Basics is available for viewing by Members.   Login to your membership account and choose either the WEBINAR RECORDINGS under CLASS SLIDES & VIDEOS or simply CLICK HERE for access.
The recent recording of Women Writers on the Santa Fe Trail by Dr. Leo E. Oliva is also available.

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The Wichita Genealogical Society has licensed Zoom Webinar to bring you our usual educational and fun monthly programs. Until we can all meet in large groups, please join us for presentations that help with genealogy research and historical context. Also, watch for additional programs that can be brought to you through the magic of a virtual world.

1. The public is not allowed access to any of the stacks.  Book retrieval is done by staff members.
2. All returned books are placed in quarantine for an as yet determined length of time.
3. The current meeting limitations are 1 person/50 sq. ft, masks and advance registration of all attendees.  These limitations could change to 1 person/35 sq. ft later this year, but the date is unsure.  We don’t know if registration and masks will still be required.
4. The storage of quarantined books and the re-purposing of the conference rooms as computing centers (with the required spacing) means that none of the conference rooms are available.  There are a few rooms available at Evergreen Library, but they will close in September for a building refurbishment. 

• Our next presentation, scheduled for July 18th and covering research of ancestors who served in the military in the 1800s, will be made accessible via our website https://wichitagensoc.org/ in July.
• We are looking at ways to provide our quarterly, historical presentations virtually, as well.
• We will make a decision on our October conference in early July. 
• We are investigating the use of Zoom for our monthly SIG meeting.

 

 

The Wichita Genealogical Society has released a 3-Part video class titled Getting the Most from Find A Grave today, Saturday, May 16th. With great features for genealogists, Find A Grave can help you organize, report, and share ancestor resting place information.

 

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The following facilities and conferences have been impacted by the Covid-19. See the associated updates.

 

The Wichita Libraries are opening May 26 with limited access. Unfortunately, the Research Pavilion in the Advanced Learning Library is still closed. Visit https://wichitalibrary.org/covid-19 for details of the library opening.

 

Have free time on your hands? Now is a perfect time to look deeper into your interests. Here are a couple free opportunities.

Digital Public Library of America
Are you aware of the Digital Public Library of America (www.dp.la)? It is a non-profit organization with a wide collection and offerings for genealogists. This includes The Family Research Guide to DPLA - https://dp.la/guides/the-family-research-guide-to-dpla. The following statement from DPLA describes this guide:

DPLA is totally free to use and open to all – no library card, subscription, or sign-up required! Our collection, with items from many institutions, offers a unique research resource for family historians and genealogists.

Ancestry Library Version
The Wichita Public Library is temporarily providing access to the Library Edition of Ancestry from your home or other remote location. This is normally only available from a library PC in the ALL or a branch. You still need a library card number to login and access this great service. For those who already have a subscription to Ancestry, there is still added benefit to using the library edition. While it cannot access your trees, it does provide many records that are only available on the World Edition. Take a look.

With your internet browser connect to: https://catalog.wichitalibrary.org/Polaris/Search/misc/esources.aspx, click on Ancestry Library Edition and follow login instructions. This link is also available from the libraries COVID-19 page:  https://wichitalibrary.org/covid-19. 

Note:  This remote access could change when the library re-opens.

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Mark your calendar for our 2020 Monthly Meetings. We have an interesting and informative schedule of programs for you. We are changing many of the presentations to 'Virtual' meetings using online-based applications. Please watch for announcements about each meeting.

 

Date	Program	Presenter	Note
October 17	Piecing the Census Puzzle Together	Melissa Tennant	Virtual
November 21	Politics on the Platform:  Woman Suffrage at the Chautauqua  1920	Sarah Bell	Virtual
December	No monthly meeting – Happy Holidays

Stay informed about Wichita Genealogical Society activities.  Sign up for a monthly email of current and upcoming events.   Click on the green Sign Up button and a new page will come up.  Complete the form then click on the blue Sign Up button to send.    But wait...for the confirmation email that will arrive in your mailbox. Confirm that you want the WGS email sent to you (it has to do with anti-spam laws) and you should be set.  Thank you for subscribing.