Workshop: Organizing Your Genealogy

Make your next trip to the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection your most productive yet! In this workshop, you will learn how to organize paper and online documents, clippings, notes, and citations to be able to pick up easily where you left off. You will also learn how to create charts, timeline grids, and digital notebooks to break through brick walls. We will see the benefits of ancestor chart numbering systems, naming conventions, snipping tools, browser bookmarks, free and paid software tools, and various filing systems. Some computer experience is necessary to navigate digital tools as we will practice creating a digital notebook using both Microsoft and Google. Handouts will be provided, including family charts and genealogy worksheets.

About the presenter: Brandie Ledford is a reference assistant at the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection. She has a B.A. in History from Eastern Illinois University and M.Ed. from Western Washington University in Adult and Continuing Education. Recently a library director for 15 years in Iowa and Kentucky, she specialized in library programming, facility planning, and innovative new services. Brandie was appointed by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad to serve on the Iowa Commission of Libraries from 2012-2016 to represent small public libraries and was elected Commission Chair the last two years of her term. She currently facilitates the History Parlor Book Club at the East Tennessee History Center which meets on the second Thursday of each month in the auditorium at 10:00 a.m.

About the East Tennessee History Center: At the East Tennessee History Center, Discover Your Story isn’t just a tagline—it’s an invitation. Whether your roots run deep in East Tennessee or you are exploring a newfound interest, the History Center offers a gateway to the people, places, and events that shaped the region. With a family friendly museum, governmental archives, and a heralded special collections and genealogical library under one roof, the History Center is where personal past meets regional history.

The East Tennessee History Center is a facility of Knox County Public Library (www.knoxcountylibrary.org) and is operated in programmatic partnership with the East Tennessee Historical Society (www.eastTNhistory.org). It is located at 601 S. Gay St. in the heart of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. For more information, please call 865-215-8899.