You Can Never Have Too Many Books!

Last fall I wrote about the treasures found at AbeBooks.com. Another resource I use for books is Google Books.

Often, I use the two resources together. I tend to search for books by state and county: Brookings, South Dakota, for example. Then I look at the listings and read descriptions to find books that I am interested in. Other interesting searches can be done using terms like "norwegian immigration" or "icelandic immigrants."

If I find a book on AbeBooks.com that I want to buy, I check first to make sure it is not already available at Google Books.

There are some excellent resources available for free on Google Books. Many can be downloaded and saved locally for future reference. But once the books have been downloaded they can't be searched as easily. The books can still be searched online however.

In order to find free books, first perform a search. On the results page, choose "Search tools" from the menu across the top of the results page. From "Any books" drop down menu choose "Free Google ebooks."

The resulting list will show books that are generally available for download. There are many family history books, local history books, or books that have information about immigration and emigration.


Why are only some of the books free? According to Google Books, "If the book is out of copyright, or the publisher has given us permission, you'll be able to see a preview of the book, and in some cases the entire text. If it's in the public domain, you're free to download a PDF copy."

Where does Google Books get the books? There are two projects listed:

"The Library Project's aim is simple: make it easier for people to find relevant books – specifically, books they wouldn't find any other way such as those that are out of print – while carefully respecting authors' and publishers' copyrights. Our ultimate goal is to work with publishers and libraries to create a comprehensive, searchable, virtual card catalog of all books in all languages that helps users discover new books and publishers discover new readers."

"The Google Books Partner Program is a free marketing program that enables publishers and authors to promote their books online, through Google Books. By submitting a digital or physical copy of your book to be displayed online, you'll make it discoverable to Google users from around the world."


Note that information in italics is taken directly from Google's website describing Google Books and the two projects listed.

Getting "Unstuck"

Have you ever had that "don't know what to do next" feeling? I actually have research going on so many lines that sometimes it is hard to concentrate on just one family. Or sometimes I get stuck on a family and make no progress for a while.

When I want to become "unstuck" I use a piece of software that looks at my genealogy database and tells me what's missing. GenSmarts2 is described by their website as "... a utility that uses artificial intelligence to analyze your existing genealogy file and produce research recommendations." I call it magic.

After a little bit of setup, including identifying your genealogy software, adding subscription sites, etc. GenSmarts2 will look at your genealogy database and give you research suggestions. I just ran it against my database and it came up with several suggestions. Actually, it came up with 32,484 suggestions.

Now that is a bit overwhelming! However there are lots of ways to make it more manageable. One way is to ask GemSmarts2 just to show you only suggestions about a certain person or a certain research location.

I am currently out of town and wanted to bring some research ideas with me. So I asked for just those suggestions that I could find at the Minnesota State Archives Website. That whittled that very large number down to 375 suggestions. It seems like a reasonable number to take along on vacation. I printed out the suggestions, one line per suggestion, and brought the nine pages along with me. I could have saved the file electronically and reviewed it that way, but I like to have it beside me as I go through the list.

There are other printing options, too. You can print:

• all of the ToDo's that you have highlighted.
• only those marked "Plan to Search."
• only those marked "Searched and Found."
• all displayed."

You have choices on the detail as well:

• To Do List - One line per To Do
• Moderate - Multiple To Do's per page
• Full - One Page Per To Do
• Worksheet - Combination of Info + Input Form
• Research Pack - Collated set of To Do's and People

I would strongly suggest that you review the documents before you print them. Anything with more than one line per To Do on a limited number of suggestions could get very lengthy very fast.

Another feature is the "Available Online" button. As you highlight a suggestion, if the suggestion points to an online resource, you can click the button and GenSmarts will not only bring you to the website but will also auto-fill the search form with the name for you. Now, that's helpful!

GenSmarts2 currently works with the following genealogy programs:

• RootsMagic (including RootsMagic 5)
• Family Tree Maker (including FTM 2012)
• PAF 5
• The Master Genealogist
• Legacy
• Ancestral Quest
• Ancestry Family Tree
• Brother's Keeper (Version 6)
• Ultimate Family Tree
• Family Trees Quick and Easy (contact us for info)
• Heritage Family Tree Deluxe (contact us for info)
• Gedcom

I have not come close to describing all of the features of the software so visit the GenSmarts2  website to get more information. The $29.95 USD pricing seems very reasonable for all of the help that it gives me. One piece of information that is not on their website: Even though GenSmarts2  is PC only software, it runs fine on my Mac with Parallels. I've been using it for several years without a problem.

Very often, as I am working on a list of suggestions, I find a piece of information that leads to a breakthrough and more research on that particular individual. GenSmarts2 never fails to get me restarted.