Monday, May 20, 2013

Canadian Week in Review

20 May 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too

Websites

Genealogy Karma www.mocavo.com/karma The search engine, Mocavo, has decided to “give back” to genealogy, and they have decided to build Genealogy Karma “to empower the Mocavo community and connect researchers around the country”. They modeled it after the former Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. They are asking if anyone can volunteer or request help from someone for projects like taking a photo of a headstone, or finding a document in a local library.

There are 151 requests already on the site.

Blogs

The Passionate Genealogist http://blog.familyhistorysearches.com Canadian blogger, Ruth Blair, was at the NGS Conference in Los Vegas last week, and sent back reports on all three days of the conference.

Facebook- YouTube – Video

Ontario Genealogical Society www.facebook.com/pages/Ontario-Genealogical-Society/259163438258 Every time I go to their Facebook page, I discover new photos about Ontario.

Newspapers

Canadian history is not just about wars and battles www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/05/13/canadian_history_is_not_just_about_wars_and_battles.html An opinion piece written by Clive Doucet, a writer and former Ottawa city councillor, telling us his feelings about our history. Do you agree?

Historic restoration projects earn honours www.langleyadvance.com/news/Historic+restoration+projects+earn+honours/8392979/story.html This year, owners of the Cummings residence in Murrayville, the Matheson house in Willoughby, and the Hogben residence in Fort Langley were honoured by the Langley Township in British Columbia.

Card-Carrying Cajuns? Louisiana Lawmakers Weigh ID Change http://kosu.org/2013/05/card-carrying-cajuns-louisiana-lawmakers-weigh-id-change US News reports that Louisiana lawmakers are deciding whether to let Cajun citizens celebrate their ancestry by customizing their driver’s license, adding the phrase “I’m a Cajun” below their photograph.

Seeking PM's support for heritage designation www.thedailyobserver.ca/2013/05/18/seeking-pms-support-for-heritage-designation Read what has been a long history to getting heritage status for the Ottawa River. The rivers which feed into the Ottawa, namely the French, Rideau and Mattawa Rivers, already enjoy heritage status.

Op-Ed: Victoria Day is a uniquely Canadian holiday http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Victoria+uniquely+Canadian+holiday/8402341/story.html#ixzz2TkBt7pMg
Victoria Day, the Monday of the May 24 long weekend, sounds like a holdover from Canada’s history as a British colony – but it isn’t. Read about the real story behind May 24th.

Pictures and Story of the Week

The Library and Archives Canada was back in the news again this week. Although Daniel Caron resigned as Deputy Head and Librarian and Archivist of Canada and Chair, Heads of Federal Agencies last Wednesday, a check of the LAC site this morning showes his picture was still there – giving the impression he was still in the position.

But he resigned because he paid $4,500 with taxpayers money to take Spanish lessons.

The bio says that “he launched the modernization initiative in order to ensure the institution would be able to embrace the multiple challenges of the digital environment. This initiative is a call for collaboration, epistemologically grounded institutional policies and policy driven decisions”.

Although the last time the page was modified was 2013-02-08

Further, he still appears on the Facebook page in a short list called The Deputy Head's Short List. Updated about a week ago, it says that “as the Deputy Head and Librarian and Archivist of Canada, I am fortunate to oversee one of the most impressive collections of Canadiana in the world. It is my pleasure to share my favourite collection items with you every week. Visit us regularly to discover fascinating Canadian treasures from our vaults”!

So I am confused. He resigned - didn't he? Why is his picture still on the LAC webpage? Is it an oversight?

You can check the website at www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx

There were a number of news organizations, which covered his resignation. They were -

Head of Library and Archives resigns over Spanish lessons www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/05/15/pol-library-archives-daniel-caron-resigns-spanish.html

Canada's library head Daniel Caron resigns as $170,000 in expenses found www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Library+head+Daniel+Caron+resigns+expenses+found/8391614/story.html#ixzz2Tm11WTAS

In hot water for big spending ways, Canada's top librarian quits www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/politics/archives/2013/05/20130515-173805.html

The next Canadian Week in Review will be issued Monday May 27, 2013

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Brant County Branch of OGS Monthly Meeting

On Sunday, May 26, 2013, there will be a General Meeting at 2:00 pm, the speaker will be Floyd Doctor, Smokey Hollow Estates, and he will speak about Chief Peter Green and his descendants. Come Early and Browse the Brant County Branch O G S Library.

There is Free Admission Everyone Welcome

And on Monday June 24, 2013, there will be a BBQ And Strawberry Social held at 6:00 pm Brant County Branch O G S, Library and Smokey Hollow Leisure Park, $12.00 per person.

Come Early and Browse our library.

This is our Annual Fundraiser!

The The Brant County Branch Library is at 114-118 Powerline Road, on the grounds of Smokey Hollow Estates, going east from the Wayne Gretzky Parkway, just outside the North-East corner of Brantford.

One thing to note is that they are having two reunions this year at the Brant County Branch premises.

The reunions are –

Haviland Family – July 9, 2013

Misner Family - August 17, 2013

The contact information is at www.ogs.on.ca/brant/reunions.html

The website of the branch is www.ogs.on.ca/brant

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Google in overhauling it’s maps!

At the developer show held in San Francisco last week, Google announced it will be using two of its own programs to enhance it's map feature – it will be using anonymous data collected from people using Google Maps on mobile phones, it picks the best navigation routes, and it will be using photos people upload to its Panoramio and Picasa photo services, it generates immersive tours that swoop around popular attractions

Read all about it at http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57585066-93/how-google-with-your-help-is-overhauling-its-maps/?tag=nl.e496&s_cid=e496&ttag=e496

Newfoundland and Labrador's Historic Sites Open this Weekend


The Commissariat - At the corner of King's Bridge Road and Military Road, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Credit: Newfoundland and Labrador Historic Sites

Historic Site are opening this weekend in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Are you planning to visit any, or some or them this summer?

“Our Provincial Historic Sites offer an interactive history lesson on the many influences that have shaped who we are today as a people, including the lives of the Beothuks and the history of lighthouses,” Terry French, minister of tourism, culture and recreation, said in a news release. “You can experience Christmas in the Library at Mockbeggar; Voices on the Wind at the Beothuk Interpretation Centre; Jam and Jammin at Point Amour; or Cultural Company at Heart’s Content, to name a few. I invite visitors from home and abroad to explore our unique culture and heritage.”

Provincial Historic Sites include: the Commissariat House and the Newman Wine Vaults in St. John’s, as well as the Colonial Building (which is currently closed for renovations); the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse and Mockbeggar Plantation in Bonavista; Hiscock House Visitor Centre, and the Mercantile Premises in Trinity; the Heart’s Content Cable Station; the Beothuk Interpretation Centre in Boyd’s Cove; the Cupids Cove Plantation; and, Point Amour Lighthouse in Labrador.

For more information on these and other programs, visit www.seethesites.ca .
The provincial government has also announced that visitor information centres around the province opened today.

The centres provide information to the travelling public such as directions, advice and local knowledge, and also assist with booking reservations.

Provincial visitor information centres are located in Port aux Basques, on the Deer Lake Highway, Notre Dame, Clarenville, Whitbourne, and Argentia. The Argentia location is currently undergoing renovations and an update on its opening will be provided at a later date.

Friday, May 17, 2013

International Museums Day



Do you plan to celebrate Museum Day tomorrow?

The ICOM sent this press release -

"The worldwide community of museums will celebrate International Museum Day 18 May, 2013.

This year, the theme of the International Museum Day will be Museums (memory + creativity) = social change. Our rich heritage, which museums both display and protect, is associated with inventiveness and vitality, both of which have characterized the museum sector in recent years and are museums’ greatest strengths.

ICOM General Director, Julien Anfruns adds: “Reconciling their traditional mission of preservation with cultivation of the creativity necessary for renewal and visitor growth is the evolution that museums are striving for, with the firm conviction that their presence and their actions can change society in a constructive manner.”

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) established International Museum Day in 1977 to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society. Momentum has been rising unabated ever since. In 2012, International Museum Day garnered record‐breaking participation with almost 32,000 museums hosting events in more than 129 countries.

ICOM is partnering with the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme – which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2012 – for International Museum Day 2013. ICOM and Memory of the World, which is dedicated to world documentary heritage, share a common vision of safeguarding heritage for the benefit of society and are joined in their reflection on the potential of digitization for this purpose".

Visit the International Museum Day official website at
http://imd.icom.museum

Shuttle Bus Available Saturday and Sunday at 2013 Conference

A local, family-run, bus company, DURHAMWAY, will run a handi-bus shuttle service on Saturday and Sunday during the main people moving hours of the conference. Durhamway is also running the banquet shuttle for those who purchased bus tickets

A different local business will now rent mobility aids (including scooters) during the conference.

The website is
www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/category/announcement

The conference website is www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/home

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Marketplace at the OGS Conference 2013


The marketplace will be open Friday 11:00 a.m.—6:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m., and Sunday 8:30 a.m.—1:00 p.m.

Vendors, heritage organizations and OGS branches will set up displays in Durham College’s largest and newest gym, which is three full courts in total area.

Vendors at Conference 2013 are -

Buisness 

•Ancestry.ca

•Archive CD Books

•The Bookfinder – Fenlon Falls

•Canadiana.org

•Dave Cook, bookseller

•Dundurn Press

•Fading History

•Family History Alive

•Family History Simplified

•FamilySearch.org

•Family Tree Magazine

•George Laidlaw

•Global Genealogy

•Kinfolk Finders

•Linda Corupe, UE

•Marks in Time

•Moorshead Publications

•Multitech Graphics

•National Institute for Genealogical Studies

•Our Digital World

•Pat McGregor Books

•Progeny Genealogy

•Durham County Genealogy

•Strategic Property Solutions

Heritage Groups

•Archives of Ontario

•British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa

•Canadian Friends Historical Foundation

•Guild of One Name Studies

•Newcastle Village and District Historical Society

•Toronto Cornish Association

•Trent Valley Archives

OGS Branches

•Ontario Genealogical Society

•OGS Conference 2014

•Brant CountyBranch

•British Home Child SIG

•Bruce & Grey County Branch

•Durham Region Branch

•Halton- Peel Branch

•Ireland SIG

•Irish Palatine SIG

•Kawartha Branch

•Kingston Branch

•Lambton County Branch

•Leeds & Grenville Branch

•Niagara Peninsula Branch

•Ottawa Branch

•Oxford County Branch

•Quinte Branch

•Simcoe County

•Toronto Branch

•Waterloo Region Branch

To go to the Marketplace, go to www.ogs.on.ca/conference2013/market-place. There is individual websites for each participant.

You can go into the marketplace for FREE, and there will be lots for you to see.