Task 18:

http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/census/results/hitlist?surname=Brumbaugh&givenname=David&series=13&state=37&countyid=1979&hitcount=1
is the link I chose to shrink. It has 155 characters. it became:
http://tinyurl.com/yhvzmsv
which has only 26. Pretty cool reduction, even though it turned out not to be who I intended to search for.

Using Zamzar, I converted a copy of my Troll image from .jpg to .gif format. Definitely a nice tool! I will probably wind up using this myself, as well as suggesting it to both patrons and friends & family. This should prove useful to anyone who has file-compatibility troubles!