Family Search Has Included The Family History Guide in The Learning Center!

The Family History Guide Official Banner

This is very exciting news to me!  From the moment I learned of this program last summer I have been very enthusiastic about it. The FHG provides a way for anyone wanting to get started with a desire to learn about Family History in a systematic, logical and progressive way. This program allows the self-starter to learn on their own, following the projects one step at a time.  It also give the teachers and trainers a very specific way to help people create a strong foundation for learning.  Keep this link in your toolbox for the patron that has an interest in learning how to actually do family history and not just needing help in finding a name. 

You can still get to the guide <http://thefhguide.com> and explore the site by clicking on Introduction. But now you can go directly into FS at http:// familysearch.org.  The fact that FS has so highly endorsed The Family History Guide by including it in the Learning Center is such an affirmation of the fantastic tool that it is.   Remember when FS did the same thing with Elder Moon's training? I received this letter while in Utah.  

"Friends of The Family History Guide,

It is now official. The Family History Guide is now on the FamilySearch.org website in the Learning Center AND in the Family History Center Services Portal.  That puts The Family History Guide in all of the English speaking Family History Centers throughout the world!  The rest of the world will get The FH Guide as soon as we complete additional translations which are already underway.  Go to this link:

https://fhc.familysearch.org/

The Family History Guide is in the left column.  If you click on the "Online Research Courses" in the center column you will see TFHG in the right column under "New Courses".

  
There is also a new 2 page Getting Started Guide for FHC's that can be accessed by clicking on the "Course Handout" pdf under the main The FH Guide picture.

This is a HUGE step for us that makes The FH Guide a recommended learning program from Family Search."

This is a quote directly from the creator and owner of the Family History Guide, Bob Taylor and his partner Bob Ives.

I am so happy for these two friends.  They have worked very hard and continue to do so.  That effort has brought something very innovative into our Family History pursuits. I recommend that we all go on the website and see what others are saying about the Family History Guide.  

Partner Websites Access for LDS Users of Family Search

This past week Jim and I went to Sonoma for a little Day Trip. These are my favorite dates.  I love that one on one time with my husband and partner.  It is fun to reconnect without all the noise of daily life with its constant interruptions.  Sometimes when we are running in high gear it reminds me of when we had toddlers and babies and could never quite get a sentence completed without something else that needed our attention.  Day Trips are the complete antithesis of that feeling. They are calming, relaxing, centering.  They always add bing outside of nature enjoying nature which is so refreshing and grounding.  Thus we love to bring a picnic and dine al fresco.

So you may be thinking...what does this have to do with the topic of this lesson FS Partner access?  I had looked for a beautiful tree to share on this topic.  When I saw our photo it reminded me of why partners are so cool.  Partners work together, share with one another and make life more efficient and pleasant.  Partners are unique, each offering something special to make the whole experience better and richer.  I have had several people ask me about this access this week which prompt the topic for this lesson.

Now instead of having every big genealogy and family history entity working alone, the bar has been raised and now they are working together for the common good.  Each of the big partners offers something different.

They all have family trees.  People ask all the time, why do we need more than one tree?  If I could sum it in two words it would be RECORDS and COLLABORATION.  We have institutional partners and we have individual partners.  Those individuals being anyone who has contributed to the trees on any of the sites.  They are either related to us or they are not.  That information alone gives us far fewer haystacks to search through.

Each site offers records you cannot find on the other sites.  So with the new record hints this is valuable.  If you don't put your stuff out there you will not be getting a varsity of hints.  Why not let the computers do the searching when possible?  If our game is to find, we need to seek in various places. We should all take advantage of the free subscriptions offered to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  So how do you sign up?

Here is the direct link to the page you need to learn about and sign up with the partners:

https://familysearch.org/ask/#/partners/

If you want to go back another time here is the way to get there from the home page.

Go to Family Search at familysearch.org.  Get Help>Help Center>Scroll down to the Bolded Icons>Look for the Shaking Hands icon.  Double click.  Read everything on that page.  Please note that you must sign up for each of the partners individually.  You will need a username and password for Ancestry, My Heritage, Find My Past and American Ancestors.  Make it easy on yourself to remember and be sure to write them down.   (Hint) They do not have to be different on each site.

Enjoy the excitement of having more records and better collaboration.
When you want to learn more about how to use any of these sites don't forget you can learn about all of them on http://the fhguide.com.