FamilySearch has launched a new initiative to digitally preserve and make accessible records of peoples whose history was entwined with the Ottoman Empire.
The announcement came as FamilySearch representatives participated in the International Council of Archives’ ICA Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 9–13, according to a news release.
During the event, FamilySearch specialists assisted guests from 140 countries worldwide to learn creative ways to explore their family heritage and roots. More than 3,300 participants attended the congress.
What is the ICA Congress?
The International Congress on Archives is an event that takes place every four years and is organized by the International Council on Archives, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2023.
Abu Dhabi Congress is dedicated to the effective management of records and the preservation of the world’s archival heritage. FamilySearch was a sponsor of this year’s ICA Congress.
Speakers at the ICA Congress
His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence of the United Arab Emirates, was among the keynote speakers.
Another speaker was FamilySearch CEO Steve Rockwood, who praised the preservation efforts of archivists during his address at the Federation for National Archivists luncheon.
“We at FamilySearch are your fellow students, learning new and innovative ways to preserve our precious history and share it with those seeking to remember,” Rockwood said in the news release. “We believe everyone deserves to be remembered. The records you care for are essential to each member of the human family being remembered.”
Other FamilySearch representatives who spoke included:
- Jonathan McCollum addressed the topic, “The Eastern Question for Archivists: What to Do with Ottoman Records?”
- Ian James spoke about technological advancements of “Man and Machine Learning: Bridging the Gap between Communities of Users and the AI-Powered Extraction of Historical Content.”
- Jarrett Anderson presented a poster — “Preserving and Publishing Arabic Tribal Lineages: Digital Tribal Reconstitution from Antiquity to Modernity.”
Other representatives of FamilySearch prepared a booth that provided demonstrations of best practices in record preservation, digitization and access using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.
What is FamilySearch?
FamilySearch International is a nonprofit subsidiary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch works with thousands of government, church, and private archives around the world to digitize and preserve their genealogically relevant record collections.
