Have the dog days of summer put your research in a rut? Beat the heat at one of the nation's (air-conditioned!) state libraries, archives and historical societies. These respositories hold birth, marriage and death records; state-census, tax and business records; family papers; and even photographs, oral histories and microfilmed old newspapers. Don't know where to find these genealogical treasure troves? We'll point you to 86 of the states' best-kept secrets at www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/aug03/libraries.html.

And be sure to take along a copy of Betterway Books author Marcia Yannizze Melynk's "Research Checklist," which you can find below under Expert Advice.

—Lauren Eisenstodt, Assistant Editor
ftmnews-editor@fwpubs.com

If your American relatives served in World War II or supported the war effort from the home front, you can add their names to a registry on the National World War II Memorial Web site, www.wwiimemorial.com. Organized by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), this free registry honors the 16 million Americans who served in the US armed forces during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died and the millions who contributed to the war effort from America's factories, farms and neighborhoods. May 29, 2004, the ABMC will dedicate the National World War II Memorial, still under construction, on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Want to be a super sleuth? Find clues for investigating your family's past from the companion Web site to PBS' new "History Detectives" series at www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives. Click on Investigative Techniques to find out how PBS' detectives identify forged and authentic papers, locate land records, prove kinship and ethnic origin through DNA analysis, and date weapons. Then, go to Do It Yourself for how-to guides on tracing house histories and digging up ancient artifacts. Stumped by a history mystery? Submit your research quandary to "History Detectives."

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the Florida State Genealogical Society (FSGS) invite you to "Countdown to Discovery: A World of Hidden Treasures," Sept. 3-6 at the Renaissance Orlando Resort At SeaWorld, in Orlando, Fla. The conference will feature more than 200 topnotch genealogy presentations by American and international speakers, including Family Tree Magazine contributors and Betterway Books authors. Lectures will cover genealogical techniques and records, Internet resources, US and international research, and much more. (For a complete list of Betterway Books authors' lectures, see the Speakers' Schedule below.)

In between lectures, you can browse 150 booths offering genealogy products and information. And you'll get the chance to meet other folks who are just as excited about genealogy as you are. Everything you'll need during the week—lodging, lectures, meals and the vendor hall—will be conveniently located under one roof.

Register now for one of the year's most exciting genealogy conferences. The conference price is $189. And don't forget to sign up for the meal events, where you'll hear a well-known speaker and get to talk with other genealogists. To register, visit www.fgs.org. You can also sign up for the free conference e-mail newsletter by e-mailing fgs2003-announce-on@lists.csc.cc.il.us. You don't need to add a subject or message; you'll receive a confirmation message to which you must reply within 24 hours.

See you there!

—Paula Stuart Warren

Paula Stuart Warren is co-author of Your Guide to the Family History Library (Betterway Books, $19.99) and a member of the FGS Long-Range Conference Planning Committee.

Today, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is declassifying and opening to the public approximately 180,000 pages of materials from the Nixon Presidential Materials Project. The documents include National Security Council committee and intelligence files, as well as policy papers.

In other NARA news, the Truman Presidential Museum & Library announced last week the discovery of a handwritten diary, dating from 1947, with 42 entries by President Harry S. Truman. "This is probably the most important document the Truman Library has opened in 20 years," said Michael J. Devine, director of the library, which is in Independence, Mo. "Once again, in this diary, we are able to hear that strong personal voice that Truman almost always projected in his writing. We learn something new both about his presidency and about him as a person."

Truman writes about presidential ghosts in the White House, his early-morning ritual, the resignation of James F. Byrnes as secretary of state and appointment of George Marshall to succeed him, and his mother's death. You can see images and transcriptions of each diary entry on the Truman Library Web site, www.trumanlibrary.org.

For more information about these documents, visit www.archives.gov.

Did you know that you can find birth, marriage, death and land records; probate files; and wills in your ancestors' county courthouse? In this biweekly, Web-exclusive column, contributing editor Nancy Hendrickson points to new and helpful ways to do your computer-related genealogy research. This week, she directs you to five Web sites to visit before seeking out the records in your ancestral county courthouse at www.familytreemagazine.com/specialoffers.asp?FAMancestorcurrent

Hendrickson is a family historian, freelance writer and the author of Finding Your Roots Online, on sale now at www.familytreemagazine.com/specialoffers.asp?EMfyro. Browse the archive of her AncestorNews columns at www.familytreemagazine.com/specialoffers.asp?FAMancestorarchive.

This week's tip comes from Sheryll Marshall of Brighton, Mich.:

"For my family's reunion this summer, I'm creating a newsletter. When I sent out the reunion invitations, I asked my grandparents' children to write down their favorite childhood memories and send them to me within two months. Now, I'm collecting their stories and putting them into a newsletter format along with photos of each writer at a young age. I've also added information about my now-deceased grandparents that I collected from census reports, old family stories, newspaper articles and other details shared on our family Web site. By the time of the reunion, I'll have a 10-page newsletter ready to share with the entire family."

If you have a great idea for discovering, preserving or celebrating family history, we'd love to hear it. E-mail us your tip at ftmnews-editor@fwpubs.com with "TIP OF THE WEEK" in the subject line. If we publish it, you'll win a free copy of Finding Your Roots Online by Nancy Hendrickson, also available for purchase online at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/display.asp?id=70583 .

Overwhelmed by the number of family history-related Web sites popping up? FamilyTreeMagazine.com sorts through them all—whew!—to bring you only the very best. We recently recommended the following as Sites of the Week:

• Abandoned Pictures from Around the World
Search through old and new photos.
www.timetales.com

• Library of Congress' "Courage, Patriotism, Community" Virtual Exhibit
Discover the songs, celebrations and sacrifices that have identified American culture through the years.
www.loc.gov/rr/courage

• Immigrant Neighborhoods in New York City
Learn about immigrant life in some of New York City's roughest neighborhoods.
www.irishinnyc.freeservers.com/custom.html

• Canadian Soldiers' World War I Diaries
Follow your Canadian ancestors' troop through World War I.
www.archives.ca/02/020152_e.html