Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois

Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012:

Expert genealogist Ginger Frere of the Newberry Library and ChicagoAncestors.org will speak on "New Tools for Finding Old Stuff" at 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois meeting in Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster St., Skokie.

The JGSI meeting facilities at Temple Beth Israel will open at 12:30 p.m. to accommodate members/guests who want to use genealogy library materials, get help with genealogy websites on the Internet, or ask genealogical questions before the main program begins. For more information, visit http://www.jewishgen.org/jgsi or phone (312) 666-0100.

At a time when technology is changing the face of genealogy, Frere will discuss some of the newest online tools and techniques for finding elusive ancestors. Bing, iPhone apps, “software to-go,” current maps overlain by historic maps, online classes, digital libraries, wikis and more will be explored. Frere will explain how these tools can enhance our genealogical bag of tricks.

Ginger Frere is a reference librarian in the Genealogy and Local History Section at the Newberry Library in Chicago, where her responsibilities include providing reference services and working on digital projects. She is co-director of ChicagoAncestors.org, a free website for finding and sharing historical information about Chicago.

She has attended the National Institute on Genealogical Research as well as the Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. She is a member of the Chicago Genealogical Society, the Illinois Genealogical Society and the Association of Professional Genealogists.