Prairie Forum, Fall 2011, Vol. 36

* "Aboriginal Rights are Not Human Rights" by Peter Kulchyski, pg. 33-53.

* "Human Rights, the Discourse of Equality, and Aboriginal Peoples on the Prairies" by Veldon Coburn, pgs. 79-103.

* "Settler Colonialism, Human Rights and Indigenous Women" by Isabel Altamirano-Jimenez, pgs. 105-125.

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Note: This issue can be borrowed for 1 week. Back issues of most Prairie History Room magazines are kept in the shelf behind the current issue and can also be borrowed for a 1 week loan period.

Regina Tornado Art and Heritage Legacy Project, which will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1912 Regina Tornado throughout 2012 and will significantly enhance and support the Regina Plains Museum’s existing exhibit on the 1912 Regina Tornado, our new interactive exhibit and our virtual gallery at www.reginatornado.ca.

The Regina Tornado Legacy Group is looking for artists to submit proposals for sculptural or mural installations that will be permanently installed in Regina’s downtown and warehouse district, to help commemorate the community spirit that helped re-build Regina following the 1912 Tornado. First deadline is March 9, 2012.

For more information or to submit a proposal, click on this link: http://www.heritagesask.ca/news_and_events?n=436

Just a friendly reminder about this Saturday's upcoming free genealogy class!

Discovering Your Loyalist Roots
Saturday, February 25, 2012
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RPL Film Theatre (lower level), Central Library, 2311-12th Avenue

After the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown, fled the American colonies and settled in Canada, Jamaica, Bahamas and England. Today more than two million Canadians can trace their ancestry to these “Loyalists”. Join Pat and Gerry Adair from the Saskatchewan branch of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada (UELAC) who will explain what resources are available for anyone researching their Loyalists roots, the application process for membership, and upcoming activities planned by the group.

Pre-registration is not required.

	Cox, Kenneth G. A Call to the Colours: Tracing Your Canadian Military Ancestors. Toronto, ON: Dundurn Press, c2011. Summary: A Call to the Colours provides the archival, library, and computer resources that can be employed to explore your family’s military history, using items such as old photographs, documents, uniforms, medals, and other militaria to guide the search. The book is generously illustrated with examples of the sorts of artifacts and documents you can find.
	Higgs, Michelle. Tracing Your Medical Ancestors: a Guide for Family Historians. Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword Family History, 2011. Summary: The medical profession had as much influence on the lives of our ancestors as it does on our lives today...Assuming the reader has little prior knowledge of how or where to look for such information, [Higgs] traces the development of medical practice and patient care. She describes how attitudes to illnesses and disease have changed over time...Each section identifies the archives and records that the family historian can turn to, and discusses other potential sources including the Internet. The book is an invaluable guide to all the information that can give an insight into the experience of an ancestor who worked in medicine or had a medical history.
	Tait, Janice and David Fletcher. Tracing Your Tank Ancestors: a Guide for Family Historians. Pen & Sword Books, 2011. Summary: Assuming that the reader has little prior knowledge of the history of British armoured forces, Janice Tait and David Fletcher trace their development from their formation during the First World War, through the Second World War and on to their role as an essential part of the British army of the present day. Most important, they demonstrate how you can explore this history for yourself. They describe the records that are available and show how they can help you to reconstruct the career of a soldier who served in tanks or was connected with them. They also describe the kind of work the soldiers did, the armoured vehicles they worked with, and the men and women they served alongside.

These books can be borrowed for 3 weeks!

Holiday hours for the Prairie History Room are as follows:

Friday, February 17, 2012 - 9:30 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday, February 18, 2012 - 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday, February 19, 2012 - CLOSED
Monday, February 20, 2012 (Family Day) - CLOSED
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 - 9:30 am to 9:00 pm

Waiser, Bill. Portraits of an Era: The Aerial Photography of Howdy McPhail. [Toronto]: Fifth House, 2010.

Summary: An astounding collection of aerial photographs of farms, villages, and communities large and small from Ontario to British Columbia-Thunder Bay to Victoria-in the 1950s and 1960s. This book is perfect for the nostalgia and gift market, history and aviation buffs, and those interested in photography. The never before published collection is unique for its immeasurable historic value...H. D. McPhail, a character in his own right, left an aerial history of land and life in post WWII Canada. His life and photography are presented through the historical lens of historian Bill Waiser.

Alberta History, Winter 2012, Vol. 60, No. 1

* "From the Bridge to the Ridge: Lethbridge Volunteers and the Battle for Vimy Ridge" by Brett Clifton, pgs. 2-9.

* "Bow City: the Village Born Unlucky" by Jonathan Koch, pgs. 10-18.

* "Reminiscences of 1885" by Bertie W. Antrobus & William D. Antrobus, pgs. 23-26.

Note: Issue also contains "History Now", January 2012 newsletter of The Historical Society of Alberta

Families, February 2012, Vol. 51, No. 1

* "Changing Gravestone Motifs in Quinte and Beyond" by Peter W. Johnson, pgs. 13-15.

* "Letters Home: Upper Canada to England" by Bill Mills, pgs. 16-20.

* "Hunting for Hidden History: How Slavery Came to the Town of York" by Hilary Dawson, pgs. 26-31.

Internet Genealogy, February/March 2012, Vol. 6, No. 6

* "Genealogy Sources of the American West" by Tony Brandy, pgs. 22-26.

* "Tracking Ancestral Time, Online!" by Lisa A. Alzo, pgs. 31-32.

* "Home Children to Canada: An Introduction" by John D. Reid, pgs. 49-50.

Worth, Winter 2011, Vol. 23, No. 4

* "Maple Creek Mainstreet Program Up & Running" by Joe Ralko, pgs. 5-7.

* "The Moose Jaw Natatorium: a Pool of Memories" by Bernie Crosbie, pgs. 8-9.

* "Form Follows Function: The Saskatchewan Association of Architects Celebrates Its Centennial: Evolution to Modern Scale & Design: 1965 to 2011" pgs. 10-15.

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Note: These issues can be borrowed for 1 week. Back issues of most Prairie History Room magazines are kept in the shelf behind the current issue and can also be borrowed for a 1 week loan period.

The Saskatchewan Archives Board (SAB) is continuing to offer evening hours once a week at our reading room locations in both Regina and Saskatoon. However, after monitoring user statistics, and in an ongoing effort to meet the needs of both patrons and staff, we have decided to make a small change to the hours of service on Thursday evenings.

Effective February 16, 2012, our reading rooms will be open from 1 pm to 7 pm every Thursday; retrieval services will be offered from 1 pm to 4:30 pm, and again from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. Retrieval request slips may also be completed and submitted by researchers in advance of a research visit.

As of February 16, 2012, the hours of operation of the Saskatchewan Archives reading rooms in Regina and Saskatoon will be:

Monday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

Tuesday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

Wednesday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

Thursday, 1 pm to 7 pm, no retrievals from 4:30-5:30 pm or after 6:30 pm

Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, no retrievals from 12-1 pm or after 3:45 pm

Questions regarding these changes may be directed to Nadine Charabin, Manager, Reference Services, at ncharabin@archives.gov.sk.ca, or at 306-933-5832.

Brown, Jonathan. Tracing Your Rural Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians. Pen & Sword, 2011.

Summary: Many family historians will come across direct links to ancestors who lived and worked in the countryside as farmers, laborers, landowners, village tradesmen and professionals - for most of us have rural ancestors. Yet despite the burgeoning interest in genealogy, these people have rarely been written about with the family historian in mind...[Brown] describes the make-up of country and village society - the farmers, large and small, the farm-workers, the landowners and estate-owners, and the local business people, the tradesmen and merchants. At the same time he identifies and discusses the relevant national and local records, indicates where they can be found, and offers essential advice on how this information can be used to piece together the lives of distant and not so distant relatives.

Waddell, Dan. Who Do You Think You Are? Be a Family Tree Detective. Somerville, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2011.

Summary: Names, eye color, hair color, nose size, personality--all can be passed down from one family member to the next. This compelling activity book gives kids the tools to investigate, discover, and preserve family secrets and treasures. Tips and ideas run the gamut from interviewing parents, grandparents, and other relatives to looking through family photos, letters, and heirlooms, as well as using the Internet for further research. Among the activities to complete: a keepsake treasure book, a family tree poster, family research cards, a family crest, a time capsule and a mini-census.

These books can be borrowed for 3 weeks!

RootsTech, a leading family history and technology conference currently meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2-4, 2012, is broadcasting 14 sessions live and free over the Internet. The live broadcasts will give those unable to attend worldwide a sample of this year’s conference content. Interested viewers can watch the live presentations at RootsTech.org.

The free online sessions include the keynote speakers and a sampling of technology and family history presentations. Following are the fourteen broadcasted sessions and speakers. All times are in Mountain Standard Time (MST):

Thursday, February 2
8:30-10:00 am, Inventing the Future, as a Community (Keynote Address) by Jay L. Verkler
11:00 am-12:00 pm, Do I Trust the Cloud? by D. Joshua Taylor
1:45-2:45 pm, Effective Database Search Tactics by Kory Meyerink
3:00-4:00 pm, Twitter – It’s Not Just “What I Had for Breakfast” Anymore by Thomas MacEntee
4:15-5:15 pm, Eleven Layers of Online Searches by Barbara Renick

Friday, February 3
8:30-9:30 am, Exabyte Social Clouds and Other Monstrosities (Keynote Address) by Josh Coates
9:45-10:45 am, Publish Your Genealogy Online by Laura G. Prescott
11:00 am-12:00 pm, Optimize Your Site for Search Engines by Robert Gardner
1:45-2:45 pm, Genealogists “Go Mobile” by Sandra Crowly
3:00-4:00 pm, Google’s Toolbar and Genealogy by Dave Barney

Saturday, February 4
8:30-9:30 am, Making the Most of Technology to Further the Family History Industry (Keynote Address) by Tim Sullivan and Ancestry.com Panel
9:45-10:45 am Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101 by Lisa Louise Cooke
11:00 am-12:00 pm, Future of FamilySearch Family Tree by Ron Tanner
1:45-2:45 pm, Privacy in a Collaborative Environment by Noah Tatuk

This is a great way to update your research techniques without having to travel to Salt Lake City!

Celebrate with the Saskatchewan's Archives and Archivists at the 7th Annual ARCHIVES WEEK!!!

To honour our province's rich and vibrant documentary heritage and the tremendous work that has gone into ensuring its ongoing preservation, and to promote the continuing importance of archives in our communities, the Saskatchewan Council of Archives and Archivists (SCAA) has once again declared a province-wide Archives Week for February 5-11, 2012.

While events are scheduled throughout the province, Regina is hosting one event that might be of interest to you:

Mystery & Mayhem: Celebrity Readings from Archives in Saskatchewan
Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Time: 6 pm, Readings start at 7 pm
Location: RCMP Heritage Centre, Royal Saskatchewan Museum, 5907 Dewdney Ave

There will be an Archives Information and Archival Services Exhibit hall at 6 pm followed by presentations and readings from archival institutions in the province at 7 pm. A reception will follow the readings. Everyone is invited to attended and the ADMISSION IS FREE!!!