A one-day Family History Technology Workshop at Brigham Young University will focus on the research behind the technology tools used for genealogy and family history.
The third annual conference, sponsored by the Family History Technology Laboratory of the Computer Science Department, is on Thursday, April 3. Registration and breakfast begin at 7 a.m. in the lobby of the James E. Talmage Math Science/Computer Building. Participants can also register online at http://www.familyhistorytechnology.byu.edu/workshop03 or by calling Elena Thurston at (801) 422-1472.
The $50 registration fee includes the workshops, breakfast, lunch and dinner.
"This workshop is the only one of its kind, bringing together those interested in how the development of technology can further the work of genealogy and family history," said Elena Thurston, workshop coordinator.
The keynote address from Dallan Quass, chief technology officer for the Family and Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will commence at 8:10 a.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium.
For the first time, the conference will also include a session with new programs that will be available for hands-on demonstrations. Demos include "GENA: An Interactive 3D Pedigree Display" and "Name extraction Using Just-In-Time Browsing."
In addition, international scholars will showcase research in the areas of modeling, merging, extraction and recognition.
The conference speakers will address some of the Family History Technology Laboratory's goals.
"We want to develop new information technologies that can be applied to family history to make it a home- and family-centered activity, rather than a library or researcher activity," Thurston said.
Writer: Liesel Enke
