February 18, 2008
My New "Old" Scrapbooks
Treasure of all treasures - my grandmother's old photo album has recently passed into my hands. Problem of all problems - how to get those 90 year old photos off the old black pages that are now falling apart!! My grandmother used several different kinds of glue to attach these precious family photographs to a black scrapbook -- and they are all industrial strength, I think. I spent the weekend with a razor knife trying to gently pry several of them off the pages. I finally got smart and "googled" my problem. I am linking to the resulting article http://scrapbooking.about.com/od/gettingstarted/a/removingphotos.htm from scrapbooking.com. My first priority will be to purchase some Un-Du, a product I've never heard of before. Then I will also haul out my dental floss. Who knew about these things?? I will let you know if I have any luck. The best news of all is that my 92 year old father is alive and sharp enough to identify 90% of the people in the photos. Now that is a real treasure!!
Posted by kathy at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)
December 3, 2007
Scanning Old Photographs
Kay Spears from the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne Indiana shares these tips online for scanning old photographs. I thought they were worth passing on:
"Do you have some old photographs you want to scan, but you're not sure
what format to use when saving them? Well, here's the definitive
answer: it depends. Yes, what format you choose for saving images
depends on how you intend to use them once they are scanned. Here are
some general guidelines.
1. If the image is to be used for the Web/online, use JPEG, PNG or
GIF. If the image is to be printed or used in a print publication, use
TIFF.
2. JPEG should be used when you need to keep the file size small and
don't mind giving up quality for a significant reduction in size.
JPEGs are optimal for posting and transferring photos online. JPEGs
aren't suitable for images with text because crisp lines will blur.
If you plan on doing any kind of restoration work on your photograph,
JPEGs are not the format to use.
3. PNG is ideal when you need smaller file sizes with no loss in
quality. PNG supports alpha transparency (soft edges). PNG files
offer greater compression and a much wider range of color depth than
GIFs. However, not all web browsers support PNGs.
4. GIF is a good choice for simple Web graphics with limited colors.
GIF should rarely be used for photos.
5. TIFF is good for any type of bitmap image. If you want to archive
your family photographs, this is the format to use. This is also the
format to use if you are planning on doing restoration work. Unlike
JPEGs, TIFFs do not lose any compression when edited and resaved. I
recommend that you scan your family photos as TIFFs; you can always
reduce them to JPEGs for sending through emails or putting online.
Always keep the original TIFF saved in a separate file. The downside:
TIFF files are extremely large and take up a lot of storage space.
However, the cost of disk storage continues to plummet while options
continue to increase.
6. BMP may be used for any type of pixel-based image. BMPs are huge
files, but there is no loss of quality. BMP has no real benefit over
TIFF, except you can use it for Windows wallpaper.
A final tip: for sharing a photo via the Web or email, scan at 75 or
100 dpi. A standard computer monitor is only 72 to 96 dpi, so it's
not necessary for anything larger. For printing, scan at 300 dpi.
Printers have higher resolution than monitors. If you're planning on
enlarging an image, the general rule of thumb is double the resolution
when doubling the size."
Posted by kathy at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)
May 6, 2007
Choosing Genealogy Software
A patron asked me last week about my opinion of genealogy software packages. Rather than go strictly by personal preference, I found this fairly recent review of several different commercial products in About.Com. Although done in 2006, I believe it offers some good points to consider when purchasing your own genealogy software.
(For what it's worth, I've used PAF for both Apple Computers and PCs; Family Tree Maker; and Legacy Family Tree, Deluxe Edition. Each has its strong points.)
Posted by kathy at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2006
Library of Michigan receives Death Records resource
According to the Mich.gov web site, "The 1897-1920 Michigan Death Records, a brand-new resource that is available at the Library of Michigan, will benefit family history researchers across the state. The Library of Michigan is able to provide these records thanks to a generous gift from the Michigan Genealogical Council and the Abrams Foundation."
This new addition supplements the existing collection of death records for Michigan, 1867-1897.
Posted by kathy at 3:14 PM | Comments (0)
June 26, 2006
Which to use - Ancestry.com or HeritageQuest for the best Census images
There is an interesting entry in Everton Publisher's Genealogy Blog this morning. In part, it read "As I mentioned in a post earlier today, I find that I use both Ancestry.com as well as HeritageQuest Online when doing census research. There a several reasons for this.
First - the digitizing was done by two totally different companies. A little history might be in line here. I was working for Heritage Quest when Brad Steuart made the decision that he would digitize the United States Census records. Brad purchased several “SunRise” microfilm digitizers to do the job. This was back in the days when these machines were extremely expensive, so the dozen or two machines that would have been nice were not in the budget. Instead, our machines ran around the clock. Brad made the decision - which I still believe was the right one - that he would digitize the film in a bi-tonal - or black and white - format. He could have done it in a grayscale format. However, grayscale produces a much larger image, making download time longer. Grayscale also produces what I believe is a much poorer image - if the microfilm image is good in the first place. The bi-tonal image makes black even blacker - and that can be good. If the image is very light (as much of the 1910 film is), grayscale images are often easier to read. However, the vast majority of film isn’t bad. After weighing the pros and cons, Brad went with bi-tonal images."
To read the entire article, please go to Ancestry.com vs HeritageQuest Online Digital Images
Posted by kathy at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2005
Carole Callard, noted Genealogist, Passes
Mrs.Carole Callard died peacefully Saturday morning, December 10, 2005, with her daughters Susan and Annie by her side. The library and genealogy communities have lost a great friend.
Carole's daughters have requested that In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to the Library of Michigan Foundation's Carole Callard Fund.
Carole was a well-known and respected Librarian and Genealogist for many years, before retiring in June from the Library of Michigan. She will be missed by not only Michigan genealogists, but by researchers around the country.
Posted by kathy at 8:22 PM | Comments (0)
November 7, 2005
New Ohio Genealogy Information
Sandy Day,Local Historian/Genealogist at the Schiappa Library in Steubenville tells us that the Ohio Historical Society online death index now covers 1913-1944. They have updated the site with these new years added. Previously it covered up to 1937.
Also be advised that as of Oct 1, 2005 the new fee for ordering vital records certificates cost $16.50! This is for Ohio only.
Posted by kathy at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2005
News from the LDS Church
The following information was taken from The Deseret Morning News, September 9, 2005 in an article written by Carrie Moore:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is working toward allowing anyone with Internet access to learn more than they've ever known before about the information contained on 2 million-plus rolls of microfilm housed there. Currently, the church is compiling searchable indexes to that information and will eventually make it available for free through an automated database on the Internet.
The church excavated the vaults containing those records on property it purchased in the 1960s, providing a safe repository during the height of the Cold War for birth, marriage, death and census information it considers essential for the salvation of mankind after death. Now church leaders seek to make the information more readily available to the world.
"The goal is to create (Internet-accessible) indexes to all the films we have in the vault. That's a long-term process and that's a lot of films," according to Paul Nauta, manager of public affairs for church's FamilySearch.org Web site. "We've not announced when people will begin to start seeing" the indexes.
Posted by kathy at 1:52 PM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2005
Tennessee Has New Vital Records Guidelines
"Tennessee’s Office of Vital Records is implementing new federal guidelines that require all states to verify the identity of anyone who receives a birth and death certificate.
'The new requirement will help to safeguard access to vital records so that they cannot be fraudulently used for illegal purposes,' State Registrar Sharon Leinbach said. 'Getting a birth certificate is often the initial step towards obtaining other types of documents used for identification.'
Previously, a person had to complete and sign an application for a certificate and indicate his relationship to the person listed on the certificate.
Starting Feb. 15, certified copies are available only to the person listed on the certificate or his or her child, parent or legal guardian. Any other person has to present identification and a notarized application to prove they are authorized to obtain a record.
The Metro Public Health Department said it has always applied these procedures. The only change to occur is Internet applications, which will require an accompanying fax with a government photo ID and a signature, Metro Health Department spokesman Brian Todd said."
For more information call 532-2644. Taken from the Nashville City Newspaper, February 4, 2005
Posted by kathy at 3:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 4, 2004
Article on Preserving Photographs
I found this interesting article on GenealogyBlog and thought it might be worth sharing:
URL: Photograph Storage
Posted by mtadmin at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)