A person specifies the book, DVD, or CD that he/she wants to donate either by selecting from a list on the DPL web site or recommending a title to purchase.  The donor pays a discounted, tax-deductible price for the item (including cataloging and processing fees), the acquisition is expedited through the system, and the donor gets first dibs on the title when it is received. The material is the property of the Dallas Public Library, however; the donor does not get to keep it.

A caveat – this program is aimed at “popular” items, not the reference volumes that the Genealogy Division usually deals with, because the titles have to be available through the 3rd-party outsourcer with which the Library contracts for its cataloging and processing.  This is what originally interested me, however, because I personally support the Genealogy Division’s recent decision to purchase materials that can be checked out.  I feel that we need to expand family history research material to include circulating titles that appeal to a wider audience.

The two titles that I have purchased/donated so far are How to Archive Family Keepsakes by Denise Levenick and Only a Few Bones by John Colletta, just to give you an idea of the range of possibilities.

As an individual, I’ll be donating more titles through this program because it’s a win-win deal.  I get to read the items first and the Library is able to add new material to its catalog which benefits the whole community.

Details about Be A Book Hero are on the Library’s web site.

The Top 10 ranking is based on collection size, geographic coverage, special collections, accessibility and much more. For more information, visit http://dallaslibrary2.org/genealogy/index.php.

Her workshop is titled  “Records, Research & Stories”, in 4 presentations:

1. Tho’ They Were Poor, They May Have Been Rich in Records

2. Research Reports for Ourselves: More than a Research Log

3. Stuck? Have You Tried…? Have You Overlooked…?

4. A Baker’s Dozen: : Easy Ways to Begin Writing Your Family History

Details about the Lecture and registration are on the DGS web site.

The winners are:

First Place – $500

“Francis A. Claridge (1824-1887)” by Karen Claridge Walker (DGS member)

Karen is a native of San Antonio, Texas. She worked two years in the Tulsa City/County Library Genealogy Center; and is a serious amateur genealogist.  The article is about Karen’s paternal great-great-grandfather, to whom she said “she is grateful for having such an interesting life about which to write.”

Second Place – $300

“Bailing, Bigamy, and Brother Love: the Family of Henry Parker and Nancy Black” by Debbie Parker Wayne, CGSM

Debbie Parker Wayne is a full-time genealogist experienced using laws and DNA analysis, as well as more traditional techniques, for genealogical research. Debbie is a Trustee for the BCG Education Fund, a board member and Advocacy Chair of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), president of the Lone Star Chapter of APG, and Texas State Genealogical Society’s DNA Project Director. She is part of the core staff at Angelina College Genealogy Conference and was the featured speaker on DNA at the Texas General Land Office’s 2011 Save Texas History Symposium.  Her website is at http://debbiewayne.com/

Third Prize (tie) – $150

“Sarah Luse Larimer (1836-1913): Indian Captive, Photographer, and Business Woman” by Loretta Luce Evans, AG®

Loretta Evans, AG®, is a freelance writer and lecturer with over 30 years of genealogical experience. Accredited in

Midwestern United States research, she is a graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Research in Washington,

DC, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Her writings have appeared in a number of magazines, including Crossroads, Ancestry, Everton’s Genealogical Helper, Heritage Quest, the Genealogical Journal, and Ohio Records and Pioneer Families. Loretta has served as a Commissioner and as Public Relations Committee Chairman for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. Loretta recently spent almost two years as a volunteer for FamilySearch in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Third Prize (tie) – $150

“Chronology of Land Lot 128, District 20, Baldwin (Morgan) County, Georgia And How It Led to Polly Ware’s Maiden Name” by Barbara A. Ware (DGS Member and IT Administrator)

Barbara A. Ware is a third generation Texan.  She has been an active genealogist for 20 years, a member of the Dallas Genealogical Society board several times, and has worked on a number of transcription projects to make Dallas county records available.  Her family research activities have taken her to most of the Southern states, England and Italy.

Look for the announcement of the 2013 DGS Writers’ Contest in the next few months.

This is the first known society journal to pay authors for published material. The first issue will be published in spring 2013, and the DGS Publications Committee is actively seeking articles.

Articles may be submitted by members and non-members of DGS, both hobbyists and professionals. Articles may not have been previously published elsewhere.

• Read the full Press Release
• View our Writers Guidelines

• Sandra Crowley (VP) will be leading the “Partner Society Sharing Session”
• Tony Hanson (Webmaster) will be presenting a session titled “Put Your Society Publications and Records OnLine”
• Jean Larson (Secretary), Carolyn Davis (Director – Publicity), Tony Hanson (Webmaster), Kathleen Murray and Cheryl Freeman will be presenting a four session “Getting Stated with Your Family History” class on Friday and again on Saturday
• Janet Khashab (Past President) is presenting a session on “Hispanic Research”
• Kelvin Meyers will be presenting a session titled “Abstract versus Original. Do I Need Both?”
• Lloyd Bockstruck will be the keynote speaker at Friday Nights dinner and will also present a session titled “A Lifetime of Genealogy”

The DGS is a Silver Level Sponsor of the conference and will staffing a booth at the exhibit associated with the conference. Volunteers are need to staff the booth – follow this link to sign up.

Information about this years TSGS Annual Conference is available here.

“Getting Started with Your Family History”, a seminar in four sessions will be presented on Friday, November 2 and again on Saturday, November 3 (see our Flyer for more information). These are free to the public, but advanced registration is required. See the TSGS Website for more information.

• Saturday, April 14: Learn the Basics
• Saturday, April 21: Ancestors in the Census
• Saturday, April 28: Find New Resources

All sessions will be held from 10:30am – noon in the Hamon Room on the 5th floor of the Dallas Public Library downtown, 1515 Young Street. For more information, click here.

A syllabus for each session, plus other useful resources and web sites, will be posted to the DGS web site sometime closer to the dates.

Registration is required… attendance will be limited to 20 people, so register today by clicking here!

Of course, for as little as $35 a year you could have these sent directly to you as email… why not go to the Membership page and  join today to support this web site and all of the other activities of the DGS?