familytreemagazine.com 31RootsMagic <www.rootsmagic.com> and Fam-
ily Tree Maker <www.mackiev.com/ftm> have
syncing capabilities with the Ancestry.com
and FamilySearch.org family trees, allowing
you to easily copy your software-made fam-
ily trees onto those websites (and vice versa).
Learn more about the pros and cons of using
software programs versus online family trees
<www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/
online-tree-vs-genealogy-software>.5
VISIT THE LIBRARY.
Books, magazines, movies, CDs,
audiobooks, online databases—
your local public library has
them all for free. Don’t overlook this valuable
resource, which can contain a variety of use-
ful local genealogy records. Some libraries also
have their own subscriptions to genealogy web-
sites, opening more doors for you.
Also consider making a pilgrimage to one of
the big genealogy libraries throughout the coun-
try. Massive libraries such as the Family History
Library (Salt Lake City, Utah), the Allen Coun-
ty Public Library (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and the
Library of Congress (Washington, DC) house
decades—even centuries—of historical maps,
records, gazetteers and photos.6
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
FREE WEBINARS AND
VIDEO TUTORIALS.
Can’t attend genealogy confer-
ences or classes? Fear not! Several organiza-
tions off er informational presentations that
you can access from the comfort of your smart
device. We’ll mention just a few here, but
you can view a more complete collection at
Cyndi’s List <www.cyndislist.com/education/
online-courses-and-webinars>.
FamilySearch’s Learning Center <www.
familysearch.org/wiki/en/Classes_in_the_
Learning_Center> off ers hundreds of English-
language courses you can view in your brows-
er. Topics range from creating timelines with
Microsoft Excel to reading Gothic Scandinavian
records to (of course) FamilySearch.org tips.
The similar Ancestry Academy <www.
ancestry.com/academy/courses/recommended>,
once a paid service, now off ers its library of
courses for free. Several videos address how to
complete certain tasks on the website (such asupdating your password), while others tackle
more general research topics.
Legacy Family Tree Webinars <www.
familytreewebinars.com> hosts multiple live
webinars each month, and you can register for
free. (You’ll need a paid subscription to view a
backlog of recorded webinars.) You can also
complete a variety of free online courses through
Brigham Young University’s Independent Study
program <is.byu.edu/catalog/free-courses>.
In-person conferences will sometimes live-
stream their presentations, or host an archive
of some of the event’s highlights. RootsTech
<www.rootstech.org>, the annual geneal-
ogy conference hosted by the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, off ers select pre-
sentations (including keynote speeches from
celebrities such as Patricia Heaton and Saroo
Brierley) on its website for free. (See page 67 for
more on this.)
Alternatively, some genealogists have taken
to YouTube <www.youtube.com> to share their
knowledge. Though cat videos made YouTube
famous, the site has evolved into the world’s
second-largest search engine, boasting free con-
tent on nearly every subject imaginable. We’ve
put together some of a list of our favorite You-
Tube channels <www.familytreemagazine.com/
premium/best-genealogy-youtube-videos>.
Or perhaps your library has a subscription to
an online education service such as LinkedIn
Learning <www.linkedin.com/learning>. Pre-
viously called Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning
hosts an expansive library of online courses.
Most courses are designed for professionals
looking to hone business- or trade-related skills.
But genealogists will like the service’s courses
on writing for publication or working with tools
such as Wordpress.
Skillshare <www.skillshare.com> and The
Great Courses Plus <www.thegreatcoursesplus.
com> off er similar services, each with courses
on genealogy, writing and history. Though you’ll
have to pay for individual subscriptions, each
service off ers a free-trial period. Andrew Koch is the editor in chief of Family Tree Maga-
zine. In addition to a budget spreadsheet, he maintains an
itemized log of each grocery-store visit.See next page for the Research Trip Budget Worksheet