Begin the Quest to Uncover Your Ancestors and Discover Your Roots at Second Annual Free Genealogy Fair – May 2

Nova Southeastern University’s Alvin Sherman Library hosts free day-long event with speakers, break-out sessions and genealogy-related exhibits

FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Next time someone asks you “Who do you think you are?” make sure you have a great answer by beginning your ancestral quest to uncover your roots.

To aid budding and expert genealogical adventurers alike, Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center will host its Second Annual Genealogy Fair on Saturday, May 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at NSU’s main campus, 3301 College Ave. in Davie.

The fair is free and open to the public courtesy of its sponsors, the Hagen Family Foundation, Family Tree DNA and Proquest. The fair will include genealogy research database demonstrations, breakout sessions, and a variety of genealogy-related exhibitors offering individual consultations throughout the day.

Nationally recognized experts and keynote speakers include:

• John Colletta, Ph.D., author of They Came in Ships.
• Rick Kittles, Ph.D., geneticist for the PBS series African American Lives.
• Lynn Turner, director of the Hispanic Record’s Family Indexing Project.
• Matt Kaplan, Ph.D., geneticist for the DNA Shoah Project, and lab manager for Family Tree DNA.

Resources available for both genealogical beginners and experts include:

• A free genealogy workbook to help begin and continue your family’s history.
• Free access to and lessons on using genealogical databases such as Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest and Family Search.
• A free demonstration of DNA testing.
• Opportunities to explore the Genealogy Room and browse the library’s specialized books, journals and how-to manuals.

Participants can connect locally and globally with other lineage-seekers by:

• Learning about genetic genealogy and national and global DNA projects, such as the Lost Colony DNA Project and the DNA Shoah Project.
• Visiting with local genealogy groups that can assist with all facets of research, including Revolutionary War lineages; African, Spanish and Jewish roots; research methods and even locating tombstones.
• Meeting groups such as Daughters of the American Revolution, FamilySearch.org (Plantation LDS), Genealogical Society of Broward County, International Society of Genetic Genealogists, Jewish Genealogical Society of Broward County and Proquest Genealogy Databases.

Participants who would like to help supplement the library’s collection can also donate book materials during the fair. Items such as old yearbooks, old city directories and other local history items can help the collection grow and benefit the whole community.

Thanks to a more than 4,000 item collection donated last spring by the Genealogical Society of Broward County, the Alvin Sherman Library also has printed materials, periodical literature and personally created pedigrees that will benefit library patrons of both entry-level and advanced genealogy skills.

The genealogy collection augments the digitized holdings found in the Alvin Sherman Library’s two primary genealogy databases – Ancestry Library and Heritage Quest Online.

These library-edition databases provide Alvin Sherman Library patrons with more extensive research capabilities, as well as access to resources not available to the general public online.

For more information about the Alvin Sherman Library’s Second Annual Genealogy Fair and a complete speakers’ lineup, please visit www.nova.edu/library/genealogyfair or call 954-262-4575.

Media Contact:
Andra Liwag, NSU Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5309 office, 954-873-8494 desk, andrali@nova.edu