It’s a quieter week than usual for virtual presentations at the Ontario Genealogical Society, but there are still good learning opportunities. These presentations are free to all who register.
The following take place in Eastern Daylight Time.
Monday, March 23, 7:30 p.m. — Toronto Branch
Finding Digitized Books and Documents Online: What’s out there for genealogists by Marian Press and Beyond the Mail: A Behind the Scenes Look at Toronto’s First Post Office’s Museum Collection by Rebecca Rizzo
The digitizing of books and documents began in the early days of the internet and has grown and expanded in the years since. And now, AI has been added to the mix! In our main presentation, Finding Digitized Books and Documents Online: What’s out there for genealogists, speaker Marian Press will survey the range of digital sources for reference materials that can be valuable to family historians — published genealogies, local histories, family memoirs, property transactions, and much more.
In our “opening act,” Museum Coordinator Rebecca Rizzo will join us for Beyond the Mail: A Behind the Scenes Look at Toronto’s First Post Office’s Museum Collection. Find out what lies behind the mail counter at Canada’s oldest operational purpose-built post office! Register to watch both online.
Tuesday, March 24, 7:00 p.m. — Wellington County Branch
Passing it Forward: How to Engage the Younger Generation(s) by Dave Obee
We’ve been working on our family history for years, if not decades, and we know that can’t go on forever. We don’t want all of our work to go to waste, so we need to find a way to make it accessible for others. It would be even better if we could find younger relatives to carry on our research. How do we inspire them so they share our passion for family history? And then, how do we get their knowledge up to speed so any research they do will be accurate and reliable? This session will give a few ideas so we can find someone in the next generation, or the generation after that, and pass the torch to them with confidence. Register to watch online.
Thursday, March 26, 7:00 p.m. — Ottawa Branch
The New Archives of Ontario Website by Ken McKinlay
In 2025, the Archives of Ontario website underwent a major update. As with any change, this has caused a few challenges for genealogy researchers who have used the site in the past. Ken will walk us through the new site highlighting what is available to us and also how to overcome some of the challenges we face when we can’t find the older online material that used to be easily accessible. Register to watch online.
