As a recap you might want to read this article on how I set up my Category Drawers digitally in Photoshop Elements.  Now while Elements lets you set up sub-categories and keywords at different levels, it turns out that when you write them to the files, that they are not hierarchical at all. (And of course, if you don't write them to the files, you won't have any at all).

This means that when you read them in Bridge, they are all jumbled up because they are sorted alphabetically by keyword, and the categories are actually ignored.  To some people this is OK, but in the Library of Memories this is not helpful.

Bridge can support Hierarchical keywording which is just what you need for the LOM system.  To check it is switched on, select Edit, Preferences, Keywords.  I suggest that you uncheck the "automatically apply parent keywords", and check the other two boxes (Write and Read hierarchical keywords).

So I had to look for a way to bring those hierarchies over from Elements to Bridge.  So this is what I did.

1. First you need to open Elements Organizer and make sure that your categories/keywords are all cleaned up, no duplicates etc.  You cannot have 2 tags the same even if they are in different categories.  To fix this, rename the tag to incorporate it's parent category so that the duplicates are now unique.

2. Use the Edit, Write Keyword Tag and Properties Info to file function to ensure that all the keywords are written in the metadata of your files.  You will need to do a Ctrl+A to select All before chosing to do this.  This process can take a really really long time in Elements so be prepared to walk away from the computer for an hour or two.

3. Next open a spreadsheet program (Excel, Works, whatever).  Starting with the top of your LOM categories (in my case People) open up your categories and sub-categories in the Organizer so you can see them all.  Back in the spreadsheet, start typing in each category/tag vertically in column A.  I had around 200 entries by the time I was done.  Phew!

4. Save your spreadsheet if you haven't already!

5. In your spreadsheet program, select File, Save As, and choose a text document (.txt) format with tab delimitation.  In Works this looks like Text & Tabs.

6. Now open Bridge CS4.  You are probably on the default "Essentials" view.  Select the "Metadata" view.  You should have a Keywords pane on the right side of the screen.

7. If there are any keywords displaying in the Keywords pane, right click on them to remove them from the keywords list. You can select multiple keywords if necessary.  It is best to start from scratch to avoid confusion.

8. In the keywords pane, on the right top corner is a drop down menu icon.  Click on it and select Import.  Navigate your way to the .txt file you saved earlier.  And select it, click Ok and import it into Bridge.  You will eventually see your keywords show up in a list.  This list appears alphabetically and is jumbled because there is no hierarchy, all tags are at the top level.

9. Using "drag & drop" mouse technique, go about recreating the same structure you had in Photoshop Elements.  Simply drag the sub-categories onto the top level categories, and the keywords onto their parent categories.

Now when I go to a photo, I can see the keywords with their correct hierarchy, a la Library of Memories.

I've written several tutorials about using Photoshop Elements for the Library of Memories system taught at BigPictureScrapbooking.com and detailed in the book "Photo Freedom" by Stacy Julian.

As a LOM 2009 alumni, I get to take the course for free again this year.  This is just as well because I never did finish "everything" in the course.  To recap, I organized my photos, created my cold storage, my binders etc all in PSE and even created some layouts with my newly organized photos.  But every organization system needs an overhaul once in a while and taking the course again this year is an opportunity to take a fresh look at what I've been doing, and how it can be improved (or not).

One big change for me since last year, is Photoshop CS4.  I purchased Photoshop CS4 back in July of last year.  It was a great deal as part of the Wacom tablet owners program, you can get a full version of Photoshop CS4 for $299 USD.  Anyway, I have to admit that I haven't fully made the leap from PSE to PS CS4.  This mainly boils down to the high comfort level I have with PSE7 Editor over the newly designed Photoshop Editor CS4.  The second reason is that my photos are currently organized in the PSE7 Organizer.

For those that aren't aware, Photoshop CS4 comes with it's own organizer called Bridge.  Bridge isn't a database driven organizer (like PSE Organizer, Lightroom, ACDSee).  It is simply a powerful file browser, more like the File Explorer in Windows or iPhoto on a Mac.  And I've been a little put off by the process of figuring out a new workflow for my photo organization/editing.

But a new year is a new year, and I'm feeling inspired, so I've embarked on the journey of switching my workflow from PSE7 to Photoshop / Bridge CS4 and I'm going to document the process, through in some tutorials and (hopefully) you'll follow me on this journey.

More to come....

Recipe: All items taken from Pen Tablet Basics Week 1, JessicaSprague.com
Click on image to see larger version.

I'm happy to report that Legacy 7.4 (with new familysearch integration) is in beta testing and is officially "Familysearch Certified".

This is great news for Legacy users who have been waiting for this integration for quite a while (as a sidenote, Rootsmagic 4 introduced this functionality back in May 2009).

Legacy 7.4 allows the import of data to Legacy and Legacy 7.5 will allow the writing back to the familysearch database.  Both releases will be made available for *free* to existing Legacy 7 users.

For more information, click here.

The devastation in Haiti is beyond my comprehension and my heart goes out to those families that lost someone they loved this last week.  While initial donations will be used to purchase supplies needed *now*, it is going to take some time for Haiti to be rebuilt (look at Katrina and the Tsunami as examples of how long it takes).

As digital scrapbookers we can help by purchasing the Songbird Avenue kit which will be released February 1st.  All proceeds from the kit will be donated to charity supporting the Haiti effort.

You can read more at Songbird Avenue.  Please support this effort.

This is the second in a 2 part series that outlines the strategy that I successfully use with the researchers I assist.

HELPING RESEARCHERS WITH SPECIFIC GENEALOGICAL PROBLEMS

Identify what the problem is (or in other words, what piece of information they are trying to find). Usually this is to identify the parents of a particular individual and is most commonly related to finding the birth of the known individual.

Identify the location and date range of the event you are looking for. Examine any known facts about the ancestor for clues that might help. Examples might be death record information, census returns with birth location and age, marriage record stating age, military records stating age, etc.

Identify the record types that might contain the data. This is not always the obvious. Yes a birth would be recorded in civil registration, possibly a baptismal record, but a census return may also have an age (calculated date of birth) as would a marriage certificate and military service record. A marriage (spouse) may be recorded on a civil marriage certificate, church marriage record, marriage licence (although technically this only proves intent), but a census return may also indicate a marriage by the words relationship to Head of Household: Wife.

Search the Family History Library Catalog for the location (either national, state/province, county, town levels) to see what records might be available. Also read the research guide for the country/state/province you are researching in to find out what records are available and for what periods of time. Usually the research guide will tell you the FHLC film numbers for the collections discussed if it is available through the FHL.

Consult the materials. This may involve ordering the films/fiche, searching online database, hiring a professional researcher, visiting an archive etc.

Record the results. All researchers record the information they find, but what about the information you don't find. Don't forget to record the materials that you have searched with no success. Why? Just to make sure that you search them again looking for the same thing. However, be aware that certain online materials are being constantly updated and that just because you don't find the record today doesn't mean that you won't find it in the future. For this reason it is advisable to make note of the date on which you did the research and which version of a record (online, film, etc) that you consulted with. If you found relevant information, record the WHOLE record. Sometimes there are hidden gems of information that don't seem relevant but may turn out to be important later on. Transcribe the whole record so you don't have to find it again or simply photocopy it.

Write down the citation. Just in case you didn't record the whole record or you need to refer to it again, make sure you write down the whole citation. This is usually a sore point for researchers who are hung up on the proper way to cite their sources. Don't worry about doing it "properly" worry about doing it "fully". Make sure there is enough information that ANYONE can find the record you are referring to. Usually this would require a book and author name with page reference, magazine and article name with date published or film/fiche number with page references.

Analyze the findings. If you found relevant information, don't forget to analyze it to see what it actually tells you. Does this new piece of information actually answer your question or is it just circumstantial evidence?
I hope this information helps you with your genealogy research. If it does I'd love to hear about your successes.

I've had a lot of experience helping patrons of Family History Centers over the years. Patrons vary in their level of experience in family history search. While it can be overwhelming to try to help patrons coming into the center, the strategy you use is the same regardless of level of ability, research location and research time range.

This is the first in a 2 part series that outlines the strategy that I successfully use with the researchers I assist.

FOR RESEARCHERS NEW TO GENEALOGY RESEARCH

Write down everything you know - The biggest advice I have for a new researcher is to put everything you know down onto a pedigree chart supported by a family group sheet for each "couple" with their children. Of course, they must start with yourself and work back without skipping any generations.
This was made clear to me a few years back when a fellow researcher told the story of their search which they started with their grandparent. This researcher was retired and their parent was deceased already. They researched for several years with much success before an elderly aunt? finally explained to them that actually their parent was adopted into the family and that the grandparent they had being researching was not actually a blood relation (being the adoptive parent).

This illustrates the importance of evaluating what you REALLY know and not what you THINK you know. Obtaining birth certificates for yourself and your parents may be part of this process especially if your parents are deceased.

Look for missing data - Once the pedigree chart is filled out, the next thing is to look for missing data on the pedigree chart. What I mean by this is not every life event that could have occured, but the main three events surrounding an individuals life: birth, marriage and death (birth and death can be supplemented with baptismal/christening and burial records).

The reason for obtaining this information is to establish relationships between individuals. A birth record will almost always name at least one of the parents and possibly both (as will the baptismal/christening record). A marriage record will obviously identify the two parties to the marriage and quite possibly one or both of their parents. A death record might identify the spouse or other relative reporting the death and may identify the parents of the deceased.

Once you have successfully identified that missing piece of information, you can move on to the steps I use for specific problems outlined in Part 2 of this article.