2009 promises to be an exceptional year for genealogy. In his Inaugural Address, President Obama mentioned "patchwork heritage." On April 20th, NBC will air the US version of the popular "Who Do You Think You Are" television program, which explores the family histories of celebrities. New websites and databases are coming online and new books are appearing on the shelves at an amazing rate. With genealogy in the spotlight, 2009 could see great numbers of newcomers joining the ranks of researchers who are already exploring their family histories. Hang on to your hats! Jamboree information will be appearing in your email, starting with the earlier announcement today of the line-up of speakers. Put a big red circle around the dates of June 27-28, 2009 on your calendar. You don't want to miss this Jamboree! Keep updated by email -- register at www.genealogyjamboree.blogspot.com. Have you read the new issue of The News & Notes? Remember that SCGS has gone green and is distributing the newsletter online. You can read it at http://tinyurl.com/NNSpring2009 Keep your eyes open for the new RootsMagic interest group. Thanks to Jay Holladay for sparking the interest and getting this launched. It sounds as though meetings will begin in March. We'll keep you posted. What's coming up at SCGS? Check out the calendar in The News & Notes (page 12). Special upcoming events include: Feb 7 - Meeting of Genealogical Society of Hispanic America - Southern California Feb 9 - Librarians Workshop 10am-4pm Feb 14 - Lunch & Learn - Blogs, feed readers, wikis, social networking - what's this stuff all about? How will it help me in my genealogy endeavors? Jay Holladay will introduce these topics and show examples illustrating how they can assist your research and facilitate the exchange of information with other family members. This presentation will be aimed at those who would like to learn about the new Internet tools, but members who are already users of blogs, wikis, etc. are also encouraged to attend and share their experiences and favorite sites. Jay Holladay leads the Computer Operations and Maintenance Team at the SCGS Library and is a member of the Board of Directors. He has been doing genealogical research since 1993 and is in the process of setting up a blog to share results of his Holladay family research. Lunch on your own from 12-1pm, presentation 1:00-2:30. The library will not be open to research during the Lunch & Learn. Feb 21 - German - Alphabets, Umlauts and Abbreviations Interest group meetings and research teams meet: -French Canadian Research Team - Wednesdays 10-4 -German Research Team - Thursday 10-4 -German Interest group - Saturday February 21 -Writers Group: February 10 (12-2pm) and February 22 (1-3pm) -Legacy Users - February 9 (7-9pm) -Family Tree Maker - February 22 (2-4pm) The Library is open to the public for research on: 10:00am - 4:00pm Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 10:00am - 9:00pm Tuesdays 10:00am - 4:00pm on third and fourth Saturdays 10:00am - 4:00pm on first and second Sundays Closed Mondays All activities held at the Southern California Genealogical Society 417 Irving Drive Burbank, California 91504-2408 phone: 818-843-7247 email: [email protected] web: www.scgsgenealogy.com