March 11, 2024
Introduction: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega describes how you can continue enjoying RootsTech even though the conference has ended – by downloading handouts and watching videos – and provides links to do so. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
RootsTech, the live conference experience, is over – but there’s so much that is still available. A hybrid conference has many benefits and now’s the time for you to take advantage of what RootsTech can offer you.
Remember
The RootsTech theme this year was “Remember.” Explaining this theme they posted:
It’s about remembering our past and those that went before us, as well as the legacies they left behind. It’s about preserving our memories for future generations so they can learn from our experiences.
However simple a life may be, its impact can be everlasting to others, and we are passionate about the belief that every story is worth remembering.
Along the lines of this theme, they created a short video you can watch on the RootsTech blog. What I like most about this theme is the emphasis on the fact that every person’s story is worth remembering. No ancestor was “just a farmer” or “just a housewife.” We shouldn’t research only the famous or infamous in our family tree. We should take a look at everyone, including stories the living have to tell.
Become Familiar with the RootsTech Website
I highly recommend that you take some time to become familiar with the RootsTech website. Some parts of the conference experience will not be available since you are accessing it after the conference, but watching videos, downloading handouts, and searching previous years’ recordings continue to be available.
One feature that will end soon, on April 1st, is the Relatives at RootsTech feature. This allows you to search the registered participants who are related to you via your different family lines. You will need to have a FamilySearch sign-in and be using the FamilySearch family tree. To learn more about this feature see the Relatives at RootsTech FAQs.
Watch RootsTech 2024
The nice thing about RootsTech is that the virtual sessions are still available for viewing and most likely will be for at least the remainder of the year. Because RootsTech was a hybrid (meaning some sessions were in-person, some virtual and some were both) you have the opportunity to watch those virtual sessions you missed.
To do this, go to the RootsTech website. You’ll need to create a free log-in if you haven’t already. If you click Watch Videos you can search or browse videos to watch.
As you browse the webinar library you will notice that some sessions were in-person and not recorded. Click on those anyway since they may have handouts that you can download and read. Please note that not all presentations had a handout (more on this below). If you decide to browse the entire library, you will find recordings for previous years’ conferences. To make browsing easier, narrow your search by language.
What am I watching? I’ve spent some time watching the AI (Artificial Intelligence) presentations. AI is a big topic right now in the genealogy world and a search on that keyword reveals dozens of AI presentations on video.
In case you didn’t know, GenealogyBank was a sponsor of RootsTech. You can find our videos by searching on GenealogyBank. You can also visit our sponsor page that will provide you with our videos and downloads to help you with your online search.
Get Your Handouts
I know it can be disappointing to find out that a presentation topic you’re interested in was only presented in-person and not recorded. I highly recommend taking advantage of any available handouts. You can use these to learn and discover new sources. As mentioned before, you can find RootsTech 2024 handouts by going to each session’s page. To download RootsTech 2023 handouts, go to the top toolbar. Click on RootsTech Event and then In-Person Syllabi. These are the handouts for the in-person sessions. Please note that not every session included a handout.
RootsTech Year-Round
Let’s face it. Life gets busy. Maybe you didn’t have a chance to catch RootsTech live. Don’t worry. You can still benefit from much of what RootsTech had to offer; it’s just a matter of seeking out virtual presentations and handouts.
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