Monday, April 9, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, Week 14, State and National Societies

The National Genealogical Society annual conference is my favorite opportunity to grow my knowledge and skills. I  frequently advocate for it with friends and relatives and I'm going to get on the soapbox again for a few minutes.

When the NGS conference comes to your area, I challenge you to commit at least one day to check it out. You can visit the vendors in the exhibition hall for free. Pay one day of registration and attend several presentations by certified speakers and authors.  I've attended the full conference 3 times, most recently in Raleigh in 2009, with my cousin Laurel as my roommate. I also attended just one day when it was held a few hours away, but my work schedule didn't allow me time for the full 4 days. I always come away with a bag of goodies and lots of new ideas.

What's happening this May in Cincinnati that excites me?
  • Extended hours at the Cincinnati Historical Society Library
  • Youth Kamp to involve our young relatives
  • Ask an Expert, a free 20-minute consultation with a certified professional
  • Free scanning by Ancestry.com
  • Photo Detecting 101 with Maureen Taylor
  • Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestor with the kilt-wearing Craig Roberts Scott
  • Genealogy-on-the Go with the iPad with Lisa Louise Cooke
  • Genealogical Research and Writing: Are You a Saint, Sinner, or Bumfuzzled Soul? with Elizabeth Shown Mills
  • Navigating the NARA Branches with Julie Miller
  • So You've Found Your German Town of Origin: Now What? with Teresa Steinkamp McMillin
  • Ohio: The Great Land Experiment with Jana Sloan Broglin
  • Utilizing Social Networks for Genealogy Research with Thomas MacEntee of GeneaBloggers
  • German Marriage Laws and Customs with Warren Bitner
  • Internet Privacy and Security for Genealogists with Jordan Jones
  • How to Be a Bad Genealogist with William B Saxbe, Jr. promises a few laughs
  • Common Sense for Genealogists with Kay Haviland Freilich
  • Convert Your Family History Book to an e-Book with Marlis Glaser Humphrey
  • The 1940 Census with Constance Potter
  • Personal Digital Archiving: An Overview, with Mark Steven Middleton
  • Over 100 vendors will be in the exhibition hall with software, books, maps and keepsakes
  • Recordings of some sessions will be made available for purchase

I counted as many as 10 tracks in a day and as many as 6 sessions. Some sessions are longer than others, so I'll guess at 30-50 different sessions to choose from during each of the 4 days. That's a smorgasbord of over 100 different choices.

The tracks include local knowledge about Ohio and surrounding states, photos,  records, methodology, technology, writing, professional skills and ethnic research such as German and African-American. I've recently consulted with friends about their German research and hope to soon have some of my own to do. The focus on Ohio and Germany tempts me, but it's just not possible to attend this year.

The 2013 conference city will be announced by the end of this year's conference. I'm looking forward to finding out if it will fit in my plans.

No comments:

Post a Comment