Valencia California Family History Center

Interested in genealogy? Are you seeking information about your roots? Want to know where you came from? Who your great-great-great-great grandfather was? you can start or continue your ancestry quest without charge, at the Valencia Family History Center. Established in 1978, it is open to the public 45 hours each week. Its all-volunteer staff of research experts assisted interested patrons who made more than 2,300 visits to the center during the 2013 year. In addition to providing personal assistance, the center’s equipment include computers with free access to premium websites, microfilm and microfiche readers, printers, scanners, and a book library. For 24-hour recorded information or to speak with someone at the Center, call 661-259-1347.

Center Contacts and Hours
Location &amp; Map:


 * 24443 McBean Pkwy Valencia, California 91355  United States
 * This is not a mailing address.
 * Location on Map

Phone: 661-259-1347

E-Mail: CA_Valencia@ldsmail.net

Open Hours:


 * Monday:   9am - 5pm
 * Tuesday   9am - 5pm      6pm - 9pm
 * Wednesday 9am-5pm     6pm - 9pm
 * Thursday    9am - 5pm    6pm - 9pm
 * Saturday    9am - 1pm

Holiday Schedule: Closed


 * Memorial Day weekend
 * July 4th
 * Second &amp; third weeks of August
 * Labor Day weekend
 * Thanksgiving weekend
 * December 23, 2013 - January 4, 2014 
 * Other sporadic closings through the year

Family History Center Class Schedule for 2014
'''Classes are free to the general public.  All dates shown are Thursday - Instruction from 7:00pm to 8:00 pm'''

Classes:

June 5th - How to Interview Yourself for a Personal History

Class Description: You have stories in your head and heart that may seem miles away from words on a page. We will teach you interview techniques to use on yourself to get you talking—and no, you’re not crazy to do this. (video by Tom Taylor-RootsTech 2014) ********************** June 19th - Tweets, Links, Pins, and Posts: Break Down Genealogical Brick Walls with Social Media

Class Description: Social networking provides genealogists with unprecedented access to places, people and resources. This session will demonstrate how to use Blogs, Wikis, and other social media to find cousins, share information, and break down brick walls in your genealogy research. (video by Lisa Alzo - RootsTech 2014) ********************** July 3rd - Finding family and ancestors outside the USA with new technologies

Class Description: Learn how MyHeritage tools can help break down brick walls in your research of ancestors outside of the United States by harnessing the power of an international family history network. (video by Daniel Horowitz - RootsTech 2014) ********************** July 17th - Information Overload: Managing Online Searches and Their Results

Class Description: When using a search engine pressing Search often yields an large amount of search results. Discover ways to manage online searches and read between the lines" of your results. This presentation includes search engines and popular family history websites. (video by Josh Taylor - RootsTech 2014)                      ********************** August 7th - Facebook is Family History: engaging young people in their own stories

Class Description: Why do Facebook and other sites continue to be so popular? Come learn why young people get so excited about sharing pieces of their stories online and what can be done to channel this excitement into the genealogy community.(Devin Ashby video - RootsTech 2014) ********************** August 21th - Genealogy in the Cloud

Class Description: In this class, you will learn how to use this incredible technology to backup, collaborate on, and share your family history. You will also learn how to avoid problems that can arise from using cloud storage for family history. (Randy Hoffman video - RootsTech 2014) ********************** September 4th - Becoming an iPad Power User

Class Description: Move beyond apps into iPad power usage. Lisa Louise Cooke, author of Turn Your iPad into a Genealogy Powerhouse, shares hacks for customizing your tablet's browsers and bookmarks, app organization and search, harnessing accessibility features, and Evernote tricks. (Lisa Louise Cooke video - RootsTech 2014) ********************** September 18th - Effective Database Search Tactics

Class Description: Your research success depends on knowing the best way to search each different collection. Boolean, truncation, keyword, fielded data, proximity, phrase, wild cards and wild words are not foreign terms, but rather your keys to genealogical success!. (Kory Meyerink video - RootsTech 2014) ********************** October 2nd - Finding Your British Roots

Class Description:Ways to use Find My Past to discover your British Ancestors and those British Ancestors that immigrated to other countries. (Curt Witcher video - RootsTech 2014) ********************** October 16th - Getting the Most Out of Ancestry

Class Description: Are you getting the most out of your Ancestry.com subscription? During this hour we will cover the five major areas of the Ancestry.com website and show you our favorite tools for advancing your family history research. (Christa Cowen video - RootsTech 2014))                     ********************** November 6th - Top 10 Things I learned About My Family from My Couch

Class Description: New to genealogy and short on time? You can make amazing discoveries using online resources! These true research examples demonstrate the breadth of materials available and suggest next steps for when you have time to go deeper. (Tammy Hepps video - RootsTech 2014))                     ********************** November 20th - Sharing Your Family History with Multimedia

Class Description: Learn how to share your research through new and visually interesting ways with easy-to-use software and websites. Even those with no experience can easily create a great product. (Michael LeClerc video - RootsTech 2014))                     ********************** December 4th - From Chaos to C.A.L.M.- Organizing Digital Photos for Use in a Life Story Project

Class Description: Do you have photos spilling out of shoe boxes? A computer full of photos with names such as DSC_00067899? We will show you a foolproof method for taming the chaos and organizing digital photos to enjoy, share, and preserve.. (Alison Taylor video - RootsTech 2014))                     ********************** December 18th - Storytelling Super Powers: How to Come Off as Your Family's Genealogy Hero

Class Description: Have you considered your role as keeper of your family’s history? Tap into superpowers you might not even know you have and learn how others are saving their own family history. It’s easier than you might think!. (David Adelman video - RootsTech 2014)

Staff Training Meetings
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Collections

 * Family History Library Catalog: This center has the ability to order any of the films and fiche available through the Family History Library Catalog.
 * (List additional collections you have such as the types of books and microfilm you have on indefinite loan; though you will not want to list every single item you have. Just give visitors to this page a general idea of your resources.)

Databases and Software

 * FHC Portal: This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions. (Note to FHC: Not all FHCs have access to this portal. If you do not, you will want to remove this entire bullet. If you do have access to it, just remove this text in italics.)

Hardware and Equipment

 * (Include the resources you have to help individuals do their research - computers, microfilm readers, printers, etc. )

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Staff Research Specialties
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Resources in the Local Area
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Links
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Volunteer at the Center
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