August is New Zealand Family History Month!

It is an opportunity for us all to celebrate and commemorate our ancestors. To focus on learning and perhaps contributing to the knowledge that helps us to find out more about our personal heritage.

Libraries, archives, museums, heritage/historical societies and genealogy/family history societies around New Zealand are holding tours, events, lectures and workshops.

Auckland Libraries is no exception. Throughout August, there is a programme of events held at about 20 different Auckland Libraries' venues, From family history storytimes for children, to beginners' classes for new researchers, through to advanced classes for those who may have been researching family and/or local history most of their lives.

As well as the different events held in libraries throughout the Auckland region, there is also the Auckland Family History Expo, that Auckland Libraries and the Genealogical Computing Group of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists have organised for the weekend of Friday, 12 August to Sunday, 14 August.

After the Expo, we have another exciting event at Central Library, on Monday, 15 August. Another opportunity to hear our Expo keynote speakers, Dick Eastman and Shauna Hicks, speak on additional topics. Dick on "Genealogy searches on Google" and Shauna on "Skeletons in the Family: Looking at asylum and prison records."

Some researchers may also be interested in events and tutorials our friends at the NZ Society of Genealogists are holding during Family History Months.

August will be a fun-filled, information packed month for keen researchers!

Happy hunting

Seonaid

We've been very pleased that we've had lots of positive response to this year's ANZAC Blog Challenge.

Alot of activity has been happening with this blog being shared in a variety of ways - Twitter, Facebook and Google+ and through other blogs to name just a few different ways.

The genealogy and military communities both seem to really get behind this. Every year there are different stories to tell, as people continue their research.

Renowned professional genealogist, librarian and archivist, Shauna Hicks contributes every year and if you look at the comments section of the original 2014 Blog Challenge, you will see she has thrown her hat into the ring yet again and has also mentioned it in her blog "Diary of an Australian Genealogist"

You can see Shauna's last submission at her other blog Shauna Hicks History Enterprises (SHHE Genie Rambles) if you feel you need some inspiration to get you kick started.

You still have plenty of time to honour your chosen ancestor. . . deadline is still a little more than a month away - 26 April.

Happy blogging

Seonaid