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Whether you are a novice or just have some gaps in your knowledge, a Windows or Mac user, this presentation is designed to help you harness the power of technology to research, record, and preserve your family history—safely and efficiently.

Why Attend?

This practical guide will show you how to use your home technology:

• Safer & Lasting: Digital copies and backups: protection from loss.
• Searchable & Organised: Easier to find files, names, dates, and places.
• Shareable: Enable you to easily share your tree.

What We'll Cover

• The IT Essentials: A basic checklist for your computer setup, including updates, security, and using an external drive for storage.
• Mastering Backups: We'll demystify the 3-2-1 rule and show you simple, reliable ways to automate and test your backup system.
• Organising Your Files: Learn a simple folder structure to organise your photos and documents, and the best settings for scanning.
• Software Showdown: Home computer software vs online databases.
• The Future is Now: A glimpse into the emerging use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): handwriting recognition, photo enhancement, and search assistance.

You'll leave with a simple monthly workflow to keep your research current and safe. We'll provide a handout with links to software, databases, and backup guides.

When: 1:30 to 3:00 pm on Thursday 20 November 

GSV members only. Please register for this free talk on the website under the Activities tab and the Zoom link will be sent to you.

Don't let your family's history fade away—secure its future with technology!

Many of our survey respondents requested more face to face talks or meetings. Here is a most interesting offer:

At 1pm on Saturday 8 November, the Irish Ancestry Discussion Circle is hosting a face to face meeting at the Kathleen Syme library in Faraday Street, Carlton.

The speaker is Damian Gleeson, author, genealogist and historian specialising in Irish-Australia research. He is a most entertaining presenter and will speak about Irish convicts transported to New South Wales with particular emphasis on marriage, bigamy and family estates.

Bigamy was a constant issue in the early days of the Australian colonies and the discussion following Damian’s talk will touch on many instances beyond the Irish and the convicts. We would love it if attendees would share their own family research discoveries of bigamous marriages.

This is a GSV members only event. It is free and will include afternoon tea with a great opportunity to socialise after the meeting.

Please register at https://www.gsv.org.au/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=2906

Damian’s book Irish Bigamy: New Insights into Colonial New South Wales will be available at a special pre-order price of $30. Damian will bring orders with him.

Please note, this special event is not on zoom and will not be recorded.

We are still looking at our survey and want to address some more of the requests/concerns raised in the ‘Any other suggestions or comments’ box.

One-on-one assistance / private session / individual mentoring / on-site hands on training
We don’t quite have the resources to offer this on a full time basis. But we do have Library Research Assistants who have regular days and you might be able to arrange to meet them in the library on their days. One difficulty in arranging one-on-one is identifying the right mentor with the skills that the participant requires.
Discussion circles are small enough to ask for help. I’ve had some great leads on brick walls by submitting my timeline and questions in advance. Submitting in advance means the group members can consider your questions and if you’re lucky actually have answers rather than just ideas for you!
We are planning more small group ‘Library days’ based around different themes. Perhaps one or more of these will suit you.

Full or half day seminars - with plenty of notice and timing to suit members travelling from the country
We are planning at least one seminar for 2026. These take a lot of work and this usually falls on our busy volunteers. We will try our best to offer these as hybrid meetings for those who live at a distance or can’t physically get in to the city.
Perhaps you have expertise in organising groups or meetings and would be prepared to help our Education team? If so, please contact education@gsv.org.au 

Beginner’s circle / research techniques / separate real from ‘rubbish’ / how to verify and check
Our Family History Tips and Tricks discussion circle goes back to basics in research techniques.
Our Good Oil discussion circle talks at different, usually higher, levels related to more technology related aspects. 
If you log in and subscribe to the relevant Noticeboards on our website, you’ll be sent the recording link after each meeting. Sometimes there are handouts from these meetings but each circle or group has an email address you can send questions to.
We have almost finished working on a new IT talk aimed at beginner level and will schedule that soon.

Time poor
Now that is something we can help with! 
Watch recordings of our discussion circles and webcasts of our talks at a time that suits you. 
Search our catalogue at any time. 
If you see something in our catalogue that you can’t get in to look at, send in a Quick Look Up request. If you live more than 100km away, you get two hours free research per year, and of course Quick Look ups to supplement that. 
We have access passwords to many of the paid subscription sites that you can use from home. 
Send in your brick wall to a Discussion circle and even if you can’t attend, they will discuss it and get back to you.
Please explore our Members area to learn what is available as part of your membership — https://www.gsv.org.au/members-area.