Have a family historian on your holiday shopping list? Here is my list of five great gifts any genealogist would love to receive.
- An application for a library card. In addition to the genealogy databases Ancestry.com Library Edition and HeritageQuest Online, we have numerous books about local history. You can also use our interlibrary loan (ILL) service to borrow from other libraries materials like family histories, county histories, newspapers on microfilm and more.
- A membership to a local genealogical society. Here in Columbia, we have the Genealogical Society of Central Missouri. You can also consider giving a membership to the genealogical society located where someone’s ancestors lived. Memberships often provide access to workshops and other opportunities for research skills improvement, as well as the chance to socialize with and learn from other genealogists.
- A computer-based program for organizing genealogical data. Some of the more popular programs are Family Tree Maker, Legacy and Roots Magic. Some of these have free versions you can download for a test run before you decide to purchase the full-featured software. I wish I had put my 30 years of research on a computer. It would certainly be easier than making copies of file after file for other family researchers!
- A scanner. This handy tool is great for making electronic copies of all of those collected documents and pictures. There is no better (or easier) way to share your findings than to scan an image and email it to distant relatives.
- Digital picture frames. These are great for older relatives who don’t want to lug around a large album but would like to see and share pictures. Download and display pictures of current relatives as well as “long gone” family members. You can access ConsumerReports.org through DBRL’s website (library card required) for a buying guide and reviews of these photo frames.
Finally, if you’re looking for stocking stuffer ideas, stationery, pens, stamps and envelopes make great gifts–genealogists still have to write letters! Happy holidays!
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