By BESS HARVEY
The Utah Valley Personal Ancestral File Users Group will have a presentation on 'Doing Family History Electronically,' Saturday at 9 a.m.
The main theme of the presentation will be ways the computer can be a help in family history.
Donald R. Snow, vice president of Utah Valley Personal Ancestral File Users Group, will be the presenter. Snow is a professor of mathematics at BYU. He also regularly teaches classes on family history.
Snow said the first part of the presentation is on keeping track of data such as names and dates.
'The second advantage to doing family history electronically is that it is possible to do more than just biographical information. You can keep track of peoples family history, their schooling and individuals characteristics,' Snow said.
'The Internet is changing the way genealogy is done. There is a wealth of information out there,' Snow said
Not only is there a wealth of information, but there is also many websites springing up, said Jay Markham, president Utah Valley Personal Ancestral File Users Group.
'There are tens of thousands of sites with genealogical information,' he said.
Snow said the Internet makes distance obsolete. He said that it is the internet makes it easy to communicate with anyone about genealogy anywhere in the world.
'Websites make genealogy exciting because you can access libraries and other resources from your home,' Snow said.
After the opening session there will be classes relating to computers and genealogy. These classes offer levels from beginning to advanced.
Some of these classes include information about Personal Ancestral Files, Family Search, Family Origins, Family Tree Maker and other genealogy programs and databases.
Snow said he has been doing family history for about 40 years.
'Family history is addicting and computers are addicting. Getting the two together make a dangerous pair.' Snow said.
The 'dangerous pair' have been grouped for six years.
'The PAF Users Group has been around since 1991. Our main goal is to help people do family research using electronic means,' Snow said.
The PAF Group used to meet at the HBLL but the group had to move because they got too large.
They now meet in a chapel where the group keeps their computers. In exchange for the meeting space the chapel patrons have use of their computers.
'The public are always welcome to come,' Snow said.
The meeting Saturday will be in the LDS Chapel at 4000 North Timpview Drive (650 East).