[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #443: The business of family histories

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OPLIN 4cast #443: The business of family histories
June 24th, 2015

[image: family portrait]Ancestry Library Edition, which has been part of
the Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org/> since July 2011, is one
of the most popular statewide library databases, generating over 3 million
public library user searches a year (and another 1.3 million from school
and college libraries), despite the fact that it is the only Ohio Web
Library resource that requires people to go to their library to use it.
This on-site requirement stems from Ancestry.com's business agreement with
ProQuest - the Ancestry Library Edition vendor - which did not allow
at-home access under any circumstances; that would have reduced
Ancestry.com's sales to individuals. Recent news about a possible sale of
Ancestry.com is a good excuse for us to take a look at the history of the
company and this business of selling online genealogy information.

   - About me <http://www.paulallen.net/about-me/> (Paul Allen blog) "My
   biggest claim to fame comes from co-founding Ancestry.com in 1997 (again
   with Dan Taggart) and launching the MyFamily.com web site in 1998. I was
   the company CEO for the first year, where we actually achieved positive
   cash flow as an internet subscription company before raising outside
   capital. Then we hired my brother Curt Allen, who led the company as we
   raised $90.5 million in venture capital. We tried to go public in 2000 but
   missed the window."
   - Permira to buy Ancestry.com for $1.6 billion
   <http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/permira-said-to-buy-ancestry-com-for-1-6-billion/>
   [October 2012] (New York Times | Mark Scott) "The agreement comes three
   years after Ancestry.com raised $100 million in an initial public offering.
   The site, which allows individuals to trace their heritage, has customers
   in 15 countries, though the majority of its users are based in the United
   States, Canada, Britain and Australia. The deal will be a welcome reprieve
   for the site, which has struggled since becoming a publicly listed company.
   After hitting a $45 high in 2011, its stock price has tumbled to around $29
   on concerns that consumers are reducing their spending because of the
   economic crisis."
   - Exclusive: Genealogy website Ancestry.com explores sale: sources
   <http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/21/us-ancestry-m-a-exclusive-idUSKBN0O52UE20150521>
   (Reuters | Liana B. Baker And Greg Roumeliotis) "Permira Advisers LLC, the
   buyout firm that owns most of privately held Ancestry, has hired investment
   banks to run an auction for the company, the people said this week. The
   sources asked not to be identified because the sale process is
   confidential. Permira declined to comment, while an Ancestry spokeswoman
   did not respond to a request for comment. Based in Provo, Utah, Ancestry
   has a database of more than 15 billion historical records and more than 2.1
   million paying subscribers. Subscription fees accounted for 83 percent of
   its total revenue of $619.6 million last year."
   - HeritageQuest Online now provides data from Ancestry
   <http://blog.eogn.com/2015/03/09/heritagequest-online-now-provides-data-from-ancestry/>
   (Eastman's Own Genealogy Newsletter | Dick Eastman) "HeritageQuest Online
   (a division of ProQuest) has supplied genealogy information to libraries
   for years. [...] HeritageQuest Online has now announced that the genealogy
   information within its service is being replaced with information from
   Ancestry.com. Indeed, I logged onto my local public library's web site this
   morning, went to the HeritageQuest Online database, and performed a search
   for an elusive great-great-grandfather of mine. When a census page appeared
   on the screen it looked clearer than what I have seen before and it also
   had an Ancestry logo in the upper-left corner."

 *Articles from Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Ancestry.com's genealogical juggernaut.
   <http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/ehost/detail/detail?sid=da62a759-5610-44eb-a658-b16ad8c53636%40sessionmgr198&vid=7&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=80238188>
   (*BusinessWeek.com*, 9/21/2012, p.8 | Bruce Falconer)
   - Managing & securing data for the world's families.
   <http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=24&sid=da62a759-5610-44eb-a658-b16ad8c53636%40sessionmgr198&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=buh&AN=95747606>
   (*Baseline*, 3/28/2014, p.2 | Eileen Feretic)
   - In the grand scheme of things: An exploration of the meaning of
   genealogical research.
   <http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.oplin.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=10&sid=da62a759-5610-44eb-a658-b16ad8c53636%40sessionmgr198&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=pbh&AN=31999978>
   (*Journal of Popular Culture*, June 2008, p.393-412 | Ronald Bishop)

...
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