Continuing your education with online genealogy videos

Not all of us can afford to trot around the globe to attend all of the national and regional genealogy conferences and institutes in order to continue our genealogical education.  However, in the new world created by the emergence of high-speed Internet access, you can now experience a lot of that learning sitting at home in your pajamas.

Only one website is completely dedicated to genealogy videos.  RootsTelevision.com was created in 2006 by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, a professional genealogist that has also been integral in the development of PBS’s television shows Ancestors and African-American Lives, and NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?  Roots Television contains hundreds of genealogy videos on topics such as methodology, immigrants, and DNA testing (one of Megan’s personal passions).  All of these videos can be accessed online at no cost.

While not exclusively pertaining to genealogy, there is still much genealogical learning to be done on YouTube.  This wholesale site for online videos is also the home to quite a few genealogy-focused video blogs.  Some of the most active creators of genealogy videos are:

• PathstoYourPast:  The official video channel of the National Genealogical Society.  (11 uploads as of 9 November 2010)
• AncestryCom:  The official video channel of Ancestry.com. (21 uploads as of 9 November 2010)
• familytreemagazine:  The official video channel of Family Tree Magazine. (20 uploads as of 9 November 2010)
• AfricanAncestry:  The Africa-centered genetic genealogy DNA testing company has uploaded several videos, including quite a few recorded in its recent “We Are Africa 2010” Tour. (66 uploads as of 9 November 2010)
• GenealogyGems:  Lisa Louise Cooke, host of the GenealogyGems podcast, also creates videos. (41 uploads as of 9 November 2010)
• FamilyHistoryExpos:  The official video channel of Family History Expos.  (45 uploads as of 9 November 2010)
• genealogyscrounge:  An active genealogy video producer, with videos on various aspects of genealogy and the use of technology.  (47 uploads as of 9 November 2010)

The newest source of online genealogy videos is one of the oldest sources of genealogy information: FamilySearch.org, the website of the Family History Library.  Through its new “Beta” site, FamilySearch offers over 100 video presentations, under the Research Courses section.  These presentations include tutorials on British, German, Irish, Italian, Polish and other country-specific research, as well as other presentations on general and advanced methodology.  These videos are by far the most technologically advanced as well, offering video of the speakers as well as their presentation slides, and downloadable handouts.  Some recommended videos include:

• “Inferential Genealogy,” by Thomas W. Jones, cg
• “Thinking Creatively About Research Problems,” by Apryl Cox, ag
• “Tips and Tactics from 50 Years of Research,” by Gary Toms (Midwest Genealogy Center)
• “African American Genealogical Research at the Library of Congress,” by Ahmed Johnson (Library of Congress)
• “The Bachelor: Reconstructing a Solitary Life Using Obscure & Far-Flung Records,” by Mary Penner (Association of Professional Genealogists)
• “Evaluating and Solving Research Problems,” by Karen Clifford, ag (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy)

These are just a few of the sources online for genealogy videos and presentations, but there are many others.  Please feel free to leave any other sources for genealogy videos in the Comments to this article, so that we might all benefit.