Scanner makes nifty gift for researchers

Is Santa still looking for that perfect gift for the family historian? I have no doubt that any genealogist would appreciate getting a Flip Pal mobile scanner. It is a truly nifty invention, and I've test run it for most situations a researcher will experience.

It runs on four AA batteries and has a 2 GB SD memory card installed. At first view, it is a small 6.5-by-10 flatbed scanner. A 4-by-6 photo fits perfectly on the scan area.

But its appearance is very deceptive. The lid can be removed, making it possible to flip the scanner over and place it on a larger document. The window has guide marks to direct users through multiple scans.

Then remove the memory card and slip it into a computer. With a few clicks of the mouse the computer takes your directions and stitches all those scans seamlessly to reproduce a large document.

Sounds pretty unbelievable, doesn't it? Here's how I tested it:

I spread out a 36-by-48 map and scanned four sections in the middle, did the magic stitching and was able to print out a clean 8.5-by-11 page from my printer.

I visited an ancestral home and got permission to copy an 11-by-14 photograph that stood on the mantle. Again, I made multiple scans and then stitched them together for a perfect 8.5-by-11 printout.

But perhaps the best and most valuable test was a visit to a library that housed original 1891 newspapers I couldn't place on a copier. My multiple scans allowed me to stitch a full page back together on my computer.

This product is available through amazon.com or at flip-pal.com. It sells for $149.99, and I'd suggest you also opt for one of the colorful carrying cases at $19.99. If you're a PC user, a Creative Suite Craft Edition is available for $199.99 — but Mac users are out of luck on that category.

The National Archives has announced it will partner with the commercial company archives.com to make the 1940 census available to the public at 9 a.m. April 2, 2012.

The National Archives announced several months ago that the 1940 census would be available online at no charge, but did not say how it would be released. Archives.com has announced it will create a special website for this census, but the company has not yet made that URL public.

Law prohibits public access to any census until 72 years after its compilation.

Since no one will be able to see the records until April 2, the newly accessible records will have no index. I will update readers as information on indexing becomes available.

Until the indexes are ready, researchers will be limited to looking in general geographic areas in which they think ancestors lived in 1940 and then reading all the pages for that area. That will be time-consuming, but it could be valuable in that researchers will be forced to explore their ancestors' neighborhoods. The National Archives has created a page with details and suggestions for research at www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/index.html.

While we await the magic date, readers can see a template of the 1940 census page at www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/1940.pdf.

Popular lecturing couple Jim and Terry Willard will visit the South Bay Genealogical Society's Dec. 20 meeting to talk about "The Civilized Internet for Genealogists."

The luncheon meeting will be 11:30 a.m. at the SouthShore Library, 16815 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin. Reservations must be made at least seven days in advance by sending $13 to Beth Clarke at P. O Box 5202, Sun City Center, FL 33571 and then calling her at (813) 642-0329 to select a meal entrée.

The Willards are best known for hosting the PBS Series "Ancestors" from 1995 to 2000. Natives of Maine, they now call The Villages home.