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Our Next Meeting: 

May 2, 2026
Click here to watch live on Facebook

Presentation: Laurie Werner Castillo

Can I Research From Home Using the Online Resources of the BYU Library Family History Center?

Meeting Location – The LDS “Red Chapel”, 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo, Utah
Click here for Map

The regular monthly meetings of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group are held on the second Saturday of each month, except December, starting at 10 AM Mountain Time. The meetings are free and open to the public. If you would like to receive email notification of classes planned for the next meeting, go to our press release blog page for instructions on how to subscribe. The meetings are broadcast via Zoom to members of the group and via Facebook Live to the public. To watch it live click on the UVTAGG Facebook website link in the box above and view the meeting remotely.

Laurie Werner Castillo

Title: Can I Research From Home Using the Online Resources of the BYU Library Family History Center?

Description:

There are many resources at the BYU Library Family History Center. The FHC is housed in the Main BYU Library, the Harold B. Lee Library or HBLL. The HBLL itself provides numerous digital research helps that may also assist you in your research. I am constantly finding something new.

Bio:

Laurie Werner Castillo was born in Santa Monica and raised in West Los Angeles with beagles and land tortoises for pets and playmates. She played on the girls basketball team for two years in high school and also loved participating in tennis, volleyball and basketball. She misses the palm trees in her front yard and the smell of the ocean every day. After a really great educational experience in Los Angeles, she attended BYU, earning an AA in Communications and Fine Arts and a BS in Consumer Economics. She met Jerry Castillo, from San Antonio, Texas, in Utah and they have 2 children and 7 grandchildren. Laurie is currently first vice president of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group; She is former Vice President, Executive Secretary and Board Member, of the Utah Genealogical Association; She has been a BYU FH Library consultant, tour guide and teacher for 32+ years; She has been a professional researcher and writer 34+ years; She has presented at many conferences including: RootsTech 2016-2020, BYU FH Conference 2014-2019, and BYU Education Week 2016-2017, We Are Cousins Conferences 2-7 (2021-2024); She is a former Red Cross Instructor, Girl Scout Troop Leader, Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselor and Chihuahua breeder. Her research specialties include: Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada and Hispanic Research; And New England, Midwest, Southwest, Mountain States and Pacific Frontier regions of the US. Her interests include: history, mystery, geography and genetics. Add those up and you have family history.

There will no longer be a class after the main presentation.

The meetings are always open to the public and generally open with announcements that include what is happening in technology that effects family history work. A featured guest speaker will then make a one hour presentation on a topic of general interest relating to some aspect of technology and genealogy. Following the main presentation 3 or 4 classes are taught relating to technology and genealogy. These are at all levels from beginning to advanced and typically include classes about various genealogy programs and instruction for using the Internet for Family History work. The classes vary from month to month. There is a list of teachers and their specialties on the Teachers page. A few of the teachers have provided class outlines or summaries for some of their classes. For information about the meetings or about the Group, email us at uvtagginfo@gmail.com or call or text Gerhard Ruf at 801-602-5048.