Mennonite Life, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, will hold an Introduction to German Script workshop on Friday, Feb. 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Mennonite Life Community Room.

Mennonite Life archivist and librarian Julia Wiker will teach participants how to read Kurrentschrift, a distinct styling of the German script alphabet, as well as common abbreviations and variations in writing and spelling. The session will also offer practice interpreting 18th- and 19th-century family records from Mennonite Life's collections. Knowledge of German is not required for this workshop.

Learning to interpret Kurrentschrift can be a valuable skill for genealogy research for anyone with ancestral roots in German-speaking countries. The text is also found in the Pennsylvania German art of fraktur, which combines the elegant script with vibrant, colorful illustrations.

There is a fee. To register, visit http://www.mennonitelife.org/events. In the case of inclement weather, the workshop will be postponed to Friday, Feb. 20.

Mennonite Life's vision is diverse communities connecting across boundaries by knowing and valuing their own and each other's stories of life, faith, cultures, and histories.