Genealogy Wish List 2012

Story Highlights

Tech products like the Flip-Pal and tablets make great additions for research on the go.

2012 marks a year of great genealogy books to help you learn more about finding your ancestors.

Have a genealogist on your holiday list? Thinking about what gifts you may want? The following are just some of the great new items you may be interested in this holiday season.

Flip-Pal

If you haven't used a Flip-Pal, once you own one you'll wonder why you waited so long. I've always taken the opportunity to scan photos while I'm visiting relatives. It's so much easier to ask people to share their photo collections with you if you have the ability to scan the images right there under their protective eyes. Years ago I would bring a small all-in-one printer and a laptop to scan photos. No more now that I have a Flip-Pal. With the Flip-Pal scanning is fast and easy no matter if I'm using it at a library, a relative's home or in my office. The Flip-Pal allows you to scan and view images without a computer or power cords.

While the Flip-Pal is small, it has a removable lid that allows you to place the scanner right on the object and easily scan larger photos as well as heirloom items like quilts, medals, and other bulky items. With its easy to use stitching software, multiple scans can be taken of a larger image and then "stitched" back together. Accessories include a carrying case and a sketch kit that allows you to annotate photos that you scan are also sold at the Flip-Pal Store.

Not convinced you need a Flip-Pal? Check out some of the reviews by genealogists such as Amy Coffin's , "This is not a flip-pal review," Janine Smith's "Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Review," and Susan Petersen's "Review: Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner - Miracles in Minutes-Part 1."

RootsMagic 6

It's amazing what genealogy software can do to help us preserve, organize, and publish our family history. There is a great variety of genealogy software available but my software of choice has been RootsMagic. Like most software programs, the developers are always trying to improve it by adding new and enhanced features. RootsMagic 6, just released in November is no exception. Updated and new features include online publishing, live timeline view, web tags, find everywhere, and the county check explorer. Not sure if you should upgrade your earlier version of RootsMagic? A free webinar, What's New in RootsMagic 6, available on their webinar page can help you decide if upgrading is right for you. You can also try before you buy and download the free version.

Legacy QuickGuides

It's always nice to have genealogy information at your fingertips that you can refer to quickly as you research. Legacy QuickGuides are new, four-page laminated guides available from the makers of Legacy Family Tree. As of this writing there are seven guides available covering the topics: Land and Property Records, Slovak Genealogy, Loyalist Ancestors, Canadian Genealogy, New York Genealogy, Female Ancestors, and Genealogy for Kids. Use these guides to learn more about how-to research or for some tips on your latest research project.

Tablet or eReader

I already have a Nook tablet and I love it. I use it to read books, research on the Internet, watch movies via my Netflix account, and to use various apps. Loving gadgets, I wouldn't be too disappointed to see a new iPad mini under the tree to use on research trips and everyday work activities. Tablets can help you streamline your research and leave home all the heavy computers and their accessories as you go from place to place researching.

Whether it's a Nook, Kindle Fire, iPad or other Android tablet, you may want to see how owning a tablet computer can help your research at home and on trips to libraries and archives. For reviews on tablets see Cnet.

Books

Everyone knows I love books. My family knows every year that the only thing I want for Christmas is more books. As we come to the end of 2012 there are quite a few books that I am looking forward to reading. Some of my must haves? Steve Robinsons' "In the Blood" and "To the Grave" , both from his "A Genealogical Crime Mystery" series are ones I've been wanting. Because I'm always looking at how to make better use of technology I want to check out Lisa Louise Cooke's, of the Genealogy Gems podcast, new book "Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse." Jennifer Holik's newest book "Engaging the Next Generation: A Guide for Genealogy Societies and Libraries" tackles the important subject of how to interest the next generation in the past. While I'm not in charge of developing such a program, I am interested in what she has to say that I can then use to interest others, including my own kids.

Is that all of the new genealogy/history books I'm interested in? Certainly not, but I have been lucky to read some of the latest and review them here on GenWeekly. Check out previous reviews for other book ideas.

Subscription Websites

It does make research easier when you have a subscription to a genealogy website to peruse at your leisure from home. Everyone knows about Ancestry.com but what other subscriptions might you be interested in? Well there is also Fold3 and Archives.com, both owned by Ancestry.com. Other sites include WorldVitalRecords, GenealogyBank, Accessible Archives, Godfrey Memorial Library and, of course, GenealogyToday.

Don't forget that in some cases a membership to a genealogy society might also include home access to a subscription genealogy website. Such is the case for the Southern California Genealogical Society where not only do you get home access to Access Newspaper Archive but you also are able to watch archived webinars that the Society sponsors.

Start making your list now! The above items are sure to make your holidays bright and will help you in your research pursuits.

Happy Holidays!