Last week I had the pleasure to attend the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, also known as IGHR, at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. This week long institute provides a unique opportunity in genealogical education. Participants attend one course for the week and are instructed by nationally recognized genealogy educators. There are usually ten courses to choose from ranging from beginning to advanced, and including specialized topics such as military, land, and African-American research. A schedule of future IGHR courses lists the topics for the next four years.
Participants can choose to stay on campus in the dorms, or at a nearby hotel. There is a real community feel to this program. There is a break in the morning when you can gather with those in other courses and socialize. At meal time you can eat in the cafeteria and sit at table with eight others who share your passion for tracing roots. This year there were more that 280 genealogists in attendance. Many genealogists attend this institute every year taking a different course each time. Others save up and plan ahead to get to IGHR for a specific course they are interested in.
In order to share information on many of the courses offered at IGHR I have invited genealogists who took each course this year to write a summary as a guest author. I will share these with you over the next few months. I hope that this will give you a better idea of what is covered in each course and answer questions you may have.
This is one opportunity in genealogy education that I strongly recommend.
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