Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum

I am very excited to share details of a new course at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) that I am coordinating. It is an Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum (see official description below) where the focus is on working to solve a genealogical case study each day. It is designed for advanced genealogists who want additional experience working with indirect and conflicting evidence. We have found five excellent instructors who are preparing genealogical problems for the participants in this course to tackle.

The idea for the course came about when Kimberly Powell, Harold Henderson, Christy Fillerup and I were attending the Advanced Genealogical Methods course with Dr. Thomas W. Jones at SLIG last January. We loved his course and the case study homework assignments that he provided. We wanted more of this type of hands-on practice where we are given a case to research and solve, or are provided with documents and asked to analyze them and find the clues that lead to the solution. The four of us proposed a new course to the SLIG advisory committee that is entirely hands-on genealogical problems solving activities, and it has been approved for the 2012 institute. Dr. Jones is the advisor for this new course.

The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy will be held January 23-27, 2012 at the Radisson hotel near the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Registration for the institute opens on June 4, 2011 at 9:00am Mountain Daylight Time. The complete list of 12 courses can be found on the SLIG website. You may wish to register early as some courses may fill quickly.

Here are the details from the soon to be released Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy brochure:

Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum

Coordinator: Angela Packer McGhie

Instructors:

Dr. Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS

David Ouimette, CG

James Ison, AG, CG

Karen Mauer Green, CG

Kory Meyerink, MLS, AG, FUGA

Classroom Discussions: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday

This hands-on course is an opportunity for advanced genealogists to put their research skills into practice. Participants will work on five or more complex genealogical research problems—a new one each day. Each case will require careful evidence evaluation and/or additional research to solve. The objective is to give each student experience in conducting research on complex problems, analyzing and correlating evidence, and reaching conclusions. The research problems will be varied, offering students the challenge of stretching their mind and skills in directions that their research may not normally take them.

Participants will work individually on the cases to analyze documents and evidence provided, and also conduct research online and at the Family History Library. The first case study will be distributed Sunday at orientation, and then class will meet from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. This will be an opportunity to discuss the case with fellow classmates and the expert instructor. Participants will compare strategies and methodologies used, discuss difficulties encountered, and receive guidance from the case study author. Students will learn from each other as well as the instructors.

This course is designed for advanced genealogists who have sufficient experience and education to work on complex genealogical problems.

All of the instructors are known writers and lecturers who specialize in complex problems.

Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, has co-edited the National Genealogical Society Quarterly since 2002. He is a former trustee and a past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, past board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and recipient of its 2004 Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit. Professor emeritus at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and retired from a thirty-year career in higher education, Tom works full time as a genealogical researcher, writer, editor, and educator. In addition to SLIG, he coordinates a writing course at Samford University’s Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research, and he teaches evidence evaluation and documentation in Boston University’s Genealogical Certificate Program.

Karen Mauer Green, CG, of Cooperstown, New York, is an editor, author, lecturer, and professional genealogist, and is currently employed as co-editor of The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Record. She holds an MA from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies (State University of New York, Oneonta). She has served on the boards of APG (as Regional Vice President and Director) and FGS (as Director; Vice President of Administration; National Conference Chair of the 1997 FGS conference in Dallas, Texas; and Chair of the FGS Public Relations Committee, 1992-1998).

David Ouimette, CG, manages Content Strategy at FamilySearch, prioritizing the acquisition and online publication of historical records worldwide for family history research. David lectures at the National Genealogical Society and Federation of Genealogical Societies national conferences and the Samford and Salt Lake Institutes of Genealogy. He currently serves on the National Genealogical Society board of directors and edits OnBoard, the newsletter of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. He has contributed articles to Ancestry Magazine, APG Quarterly, BYU Family Historian, Crossroads, NGS Quarterly, and The Septs, and is the author of Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide.

Kory Meyerink, BS, MLS, AG®, FUGA, has been involved in nearly every aspect of genealogy and family history for the past 20 years. Kory is an accredited genealogist in four geographic areas (Germany, Midwestern U.S., Eastern U.S. and New England U.S.). He specializes in tracing the origins of German and Dutch immigrants.

Jim Ison, AG, CG, is a manager at FamilySearch. He is both an Accredited Genealogist and Certified Genealogist. He is past President of the Utah Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and a national Board member of APG. He is past Trustee of the John Parker Historical Society. He has presented at NGS and FGS conferences, and numerous other conferences.

Angela Packer McGhie is the administrator of the ProGen Study Program, president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), and assistant director of the Columbia Maryland Family History Center.  She is an instructor for the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR) and teaches genealogy courses at Howard Community College.