FREE
Castro Valley Library, 3600 Norbridge Ave, Castro Valley, CA, September 20, 2026, 2PM – 4PM
What You Will Learn
- Utilize AI for oral history, scanning, photo restoration, and management
- Explore case studies for weaving family sagas with multimedia
- Discover free resources and best practices for legacy preservation
- Learn tools for creating a digital family heritage library
Abstract
How To Digitize & Document Your Family History
Dive into a realm where physical artifacts meet virtual storytelling. This session immerses you in the art of utilizing artificial intelligence for oral history creation, scanning, photo restoration, photo management, movie making and storytelling. Explore real-life case studies illustrating how to intricately weave your family’s saga using multimedia methodologies. Discover invaluable free resources and best practices to preserve your family’s legacy. By session end, you’ll learn about tools and techniques to create a digital family heritage library, that will be a timeless treasure for generations to come.
About The Speaker: Ron Chan
Ron Chan is a passionate storyteller, educator, and recognized leader in Chinese American genealogy. As Founder and Executive Director of the Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group (BACGG), Ron inspires people to discover their family roots, preserve their heritage, and ensure the stories of those who came before them are never lost. A seasoned lecturer and published genealogy author, he brings genealogy, history, technology, and storytelling together to make family history engaging and accessible. Ron is also co-founder of the Chinese American GI Project, preserving the stories of Chinese American veterans. In 2026, Ron received the prestigious National Genealogical Society Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Lifetime Achievement Award.
Seminar Patron Feedback
- Very pertinent and interesting information. Optics very nice. Personal story. Made it very relatable.”
- “Inspirational! Technically wonderful.”
- “Well delivered, comprehensive, heartfelt sharing of personal stories, links, and resources.”
- “This is exactly what I was looking for my family stories.”
- “Great ideas and tools for writing and displaying history / story telling”.
- “Comprehensive, intelligently presented, touching, very impressive!”
- “Very organized and inspiring. All materials were accessible and easy to understand. Hard for me not to cry… So personal.”
- ‘Thorough, practical, personal, methodically prepared.”
- “Comprehensive, intelligently presented, touching, very impressive!
- “Presenter was very well organized, engaging, good teacher/educator qualities and communication.”
Comments
Cindy M Yee
February 2, 2024 at 1:46 pm | Edit
I finished my family story! I even included an Author’s Note, Reviews, Table of Contents, changed the font for easier reading. It ended up 7 chapters, over 90 personal photos, and less than 50 pages.
Ron Chan
February 2, 2024 at 2:17 pm | Edit
Congrats on saving memories of the past for the future!
Linda Scolinos
February 4, 2025 at 10:11 am | Edit
will any of these sessions possibly be on zoom? I am in SoCal.
Thanks so much.
Linda
Ron Chan
February 4, 2025 at 11:39 am | Edit
Hi Linda, thanks for your interest in my sessions, but all library sessions are in person events only. If there are any specific questions you have, I’d be happy to help. Just post your questions here and we can “chat”. Take care and be well. \ron
George Clark
September 16, 2025 at 1:40 pm | Edit
Hi Ron,
I liked you prior seminar about using AI. I have used it for biographies. I hope to make you session this Saturday. I have a family tree in Exel and linked it to a file that I have for each person
on the tree. You can click on the Family Tree and get to the file on that