APG Professional Development Webinar Series

I received the following announcement from the Association of Professional Genealogists' Professional Development Committee. These webinars are FREE and open to the public.

February 28, 2012

We hope you can join us for the following free webinars, part of an ongoing APG Professional Development webinar series sponsored by the Association of Professional Genealogists. Please feel free to share this invitation on relevant mailing lists, with your local society, or with anyone else who might have an interest. The live webinars are free for both members and non-members to attend. The webinars will also be recorded, and the recordings made available to APG members on the Members Only page of our website for any member who is unable to attend the live session or just wants to review the material again :)

Don’t Neglect the Stories: Add Story-writing to Your Professional Services
Saturday, March 3, 2012  —  2:00p.m. Eastern
Presented by Mary Penner

You’ve finished the client’s research and written a concise, fact-based report. Case closed, right? Not so fast. What about the stories you uncovered? What about those tantalizing tidbits that point to colorful characters and unusual events? Your clients may not ask for a written story, but, often, that’s what they really want from your diligent research efforts. They want to embrace the stories that their ancestors neglected to pass down to them. Join APG member Mary Penner as she offers tips on developing a writer’s instinct for story. She’ll address the differences between a genealogical narrative and a genealogical story, how to spot story-worthy events and characters, how to research a story, how to write a lively story, and how to earn additional income from story-writing.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:   https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/313600945

Juggling Complex Projects While Staying on Track
Tuesday, March 27, 2012  —  8:30p.m. Eastern
Presented by J. Mark Lowe, CG

Learn to manage multiple projects without derailing the research in this engaging presentation by professional genealogist J. Mark Lowe. Discover the techniques & skills needed by every professional to keep your clients on board. This will include time planning, scheduling, and decision-making tools.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:   https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/699959320

We hope you enjoy them!

The APG Professional Development Committee

BCG Education Fund Workshop - “Editor’s Ink, Writer’s Lead”

I received the following announcement from Barbara Matthews, CG, Trustee of the BCG Education Fund. I share it here with her permission.
 

Just wanted to alert you to the fact that there are only 20 places left in the BCG Education Fund's NGS 2012 workshop, scheduled for Tuesday, 8 May 2012, 8:30 am - 4:30 am, the day before the NGS conference opens.

From the conference registration information at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conferences_events/annual_conference/bcg_education_fund_workshop:

"Melinde Lutz Byrne, cg^*,fasg, and Thomas W. Jones, phd, cg, cgl, fasg, fuga, fngs, will lead the workshop, “Editor’s Ink, Writer’s Lead.” Solving the case is only half the battle. Grace in expression conveys credibility and competence. To be clear, concise, and correct are three indispensable virtues and your greatest value-added for reports, articles, books, or video scripts. Hands-on exercises will introduce novel solutions and compelling answers."

If you wish to have a place in the workshop, make sure to register soon. Cross-registration with the conference itself is not required by NGS. The full cost to the student, including lunch, is $110.

APG Professional Management Conference Syllabus Available

If you missed the Professional Management Conference held in Salt Lake City on 1 February 2012 which was sponsored by the Association of Professional Genealogists you may be interested in purchasing a copy of the syllabus. Limited copies of the syllabus are available while supplies last. Presentations included:

Developing Advanced Research Plans While Staying on Track in a Modern World
J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA

Understanding U. S. Native American Research
Paula Stuart-Warren, CG

Virtual Presentations for Professional Genealogists
Thomas MacEntee

Media Planning: Using Traditional vs. Digital Media To Build Your Client Base
Teresa Koch-Bostic and Melissa A. Johnson

There's An App For That: Professional Edition
Laura G. Prescott

Are You Really Earning a Living, Or Just Funding Your Hobby?
Kory L. Meyerink, AG

Generating Business by Collaborating with Other Professions
Diane L. Giannini, CG

See http://www.apgen.org/conferences/index.html for a full description of the program.

You can order with your credit card at http://www.apgen.org/catalog/products.html  -- while supplies last.

New Genealogy Institute Proves to be Popular

Registration opened yesterday for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), the newest genealogy institute in the field, and the Advanced Research Method course with Thomas W. Jones sold out in five minutes. That is really no surprise as this same course sells out quickly at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), and the Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis course with Elizabeth Shown Mills at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) also sells out in five to ten minutes every year. There is definitely a hunger for advanced instruction in the field of genealogy.

There are three other courses offered this year at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, and as of today there is still space in each of them: 

Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper
            with Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA

Beneath the Home Page: Problem Solving with Online Repositories 
            with D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS

German Genealogical Research 
            with John T. Humphrey, CG

Evening programs are open to the public and will include:

“Telling the Tales: Writing Your Family Narrative” presented by Pamela Stone Eagleson, CG
Monday, July 23, 2012 at 7:30pm

“Google Earth for Genealogists” presented by Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL, and Richard G. Sayre, CG.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 6:30pm

"Pennsylvania Research” presented by Richard G. (Rick) Sayre, CG

 Wednesday, July 25, 2012 at 6:30pm

A presentation by Bruce Klein of Photo Antiquities
Thursday, July 26th, 2012 at 7:30pm

This is the first year of the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh and plans are in the works for 2013. They have not released the list of courses for next year, but it will probably expand to more than four courses and have a nice variety of genealogical offerings.

Registration for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP)

I received the following press release from Elissa Powell, the Co-Director of GRIP. I am excited about this new genealogy institute and the courses they are offering. It is a great addition to the genealogy education community.

February 2, 2012 

Registration for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Noon (Eastern Time). The four course coordinators have proven popular at institutes and conferences. Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, will coordinate the “Advanced Research Methods” that he also offers at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. John Humphrey, CG, will offer his “German Genealogical Research” course that he presented at the Institute for Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University last year. Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, and D. Joshua Taylor have created new courses for GRIP in which they will each teach in both. These are “Intermediate Genealogy: Tools for Digging Deeper” and “Beneath the Home Page: Problem Solving with Online Repositories.”

The courses are expected to fill quickly and waiting lists will be created when they do. In addition to the daytime courses, students may attend evening lectures which will also be open to the public. Two of the four evening lectures will be sponsored by the Great Lakes Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and by the North Hills Genealogists of Pittsburgh.

GRIP courses provide a week-long intensive educational opportunity for hands-on learning in a community atmosphere. For more information please see www.GRIPitt.org where you may subscribe to email notifications.

Elissa Powell

Co-Director, GRIP

RootsTech to Stream Live Sessions

I had been hoping that the RootsTech conference would stream some live sessions on the internet like they did last year, and now the announcement has come in the FamilySearch Researcher Help Community Newsletter:

RootsTech Live

“Can’t attend RootsTech 2012 in person? Join us online for RootsTech Live every day during the conference, Thursday through Saturday, February 2–4. All events held in room 155 of the conference hall will be streamed live on the conference home page. Check out the conference schedule to see which sessions are being held in room 155 and will be available for live-streaming on rootstech.org.”

 I checked the schedule for all the presentations that will be held in room 155 and therefore will be streamed live on the internet. The following sessions will be available to all who want to participate virtually (all times listed are Mountain Time):

Thursday, February 2^nd 

8:30 - 10:00 am  Keynote address  Inventing the Future, as a Community   Jay Verkler

11:00 am - 12:00 pm  Do I Trust the Cloud?   D. Joshua Taylor

1:45 - 2:45 pm   Effective Database Search Tactics   Kory Meyerink

3:00 - 4:00 pm  Twitter – It’s Not Just “What I Had For Breakfast” Anymore   Thomas MacEntee

4:15 - 5:15 pm  Eleven Layers of Online Searches   Barbara Renick

Friday, February 3^rd

8:30 - 9:30 am  Keynote address Exabyte Social Clouds and other Monstrosities   Josh Coates

9:45 - 10:45 am  Publish Your Genealogy Online   Laura Prescott

11:00 am - 12:00 pm   Optimizing Your Site for Search Engines   Robert Gardner

1:45 - 2:45 pm  Genealogists “Go Mobile”   Sandra Crowley

3:00 - 4:00 pm  Google's Toolbar and Genealogy   David Barney

Saturday, February 4^th

8:30 - 9:30 am  Keynote address Making the most of technology to further the family history industry   Tim Sullivan

9:45 - 10:45 am  Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101   Lisa Louise Cooke

11:00 am - 12:00 pm  Future of FamilySearch Family Tree   Ron Tanner

1:45 - 2:45 pm Privacy in a Collaborative Environment   Noah Tutak

I hope you are able to catch some of these presentations if you are not able to attend the conference.

Virtual Genealogy Education lecture links

Here are the is the handout with hyperlinks for the "Virtual Genealogy Education" lecture I gave at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.

Factors to consider when choosing genealogy education programs:

·         Your educational needs – individual topics or comprehensive courses

·         Your time and availability – access online programs from home

·         Quality of the program and reputation of instructors

Education Strategies

·         Learn about the Records

·         Learn about a Locality

·         Learn Techniques and Methodology

“Virtual” or Online Educational Options

There are many educational opportunities available online and accessible from your home. These include webinars, recorded presentations, tutorials, classes, courses, and certificate programs. Note: All of the websites listed in this handout are also posted on my blog (address above) if you would rather click on the URLs than type them into your browser.

Webinars

These live seminars held on the internet and generally last 60 to 90 minutes. You download free software and log in at the appointed time to hear the presentation and see the slides. These webinars are hosted by a variety of organizations and many are free, but some have a charge. Some of the webinars are archived and available to view later.

GeneaWebinars Blog – contains information on a variety of webinars including a master calendar of upcoming events (click on the “calendar” tab) http://blog.geneawebinars.com/

Genealogy software companies hosting webinars:

            Legacy Family Tree             

http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/Webinars.asp

            RootsMagic                           

http://www.rootsmagic.com/webinars/

Genealogy societies hosting webinars or virtual meetings:

Southern California Genealogy Society – Jamboree Extension Series

http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/JamboreeExtensionSeries2011.htm

             Friends of the National Archives-Southeast Region

                        http://friendsnas.org/webinarSch.htm

             Utah Genealogical Association -- Virtual Chapter Meetings

                        http://www.ugagenealogy.com/cpage.php?pt=11

             Illinois State Genealogical Society - New series of educational webinars. 

                        http://www.ilgensoc.org/ 

             Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania -
                        http://genpa.org/news-events/gsp-upcoming-events-2012 

Commercial Companies hosting webinars:

Ancestry – Live and archived webinars

                        http://learn.ancestry.com/LearnMore/Webinars.aspx

            FamilyTree University – Webinars for $49.95

http://www.familytreeuniversity.com/webinars/upcoming-live-webinars

Online Presentations

FamilySearch research courses and recorded lectures – over 300 available!

Favorites: “Inferential Genealogy” by Thomas W. Jones, “U.S. Courthouse Research” by Christine Rose, the handwriting series, and research principles topics.

            https://familysearch.org/learn/researchcourses

New England Historic Genealogical Society – recorded presentations

            http://americanancestors.org/online-seminars/

National Archives - Know Your Records Programs
            http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/know-your-records/

Online Tutorials

            Census                                  http://census.byu.edu/

            Scottish Handwriting            http://www.scottishhandwriting.com/

            English Handwriting             http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/

            Immigrant Ancestors Project Script Tutorial         http://script.byu.edu

Study Groups

These study groups are similar to Special Interest Groups (SIGs) hosted by some genealogy societies and can be organized to study any genealogy topic. Some are formal like the ProGen Study Group, and others are more casual study groups.

            ProGen Study Group – for aspiring professional genealogists

                        www.progenstudy.org

            NGSQ Study Group – studying articles from the NGS Quarterly

                        Email Sheri Fenley for information sherifenley@gmail.com

            Writer’s Group – reviewing the writing of group members

Formal Classes and Courses

National Genealogical Society Online Courses

Seven courses available including Family History Skills; Special Federal Census Schedules; Transcribing, Extracting and Abstracting Records; Working with Deeds; Religious Records; Social Security Sleuthing; and Civil War Research.

              http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/online_courses

FamilyTree University – Online courses and virtual conference

Family Tree University is an online education program from the publishers of Family Tree Magazine. Courses are generally four weeks for $99 with new classes beginning monthly.

              http://www.familytreeuniversity.com/courses/view-all-courses

Pharos Tutors (Based in the UK) – Online courses in British records

These courses include advanced topics in English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish research 

 and can be taken individually or toward a certificate program.      

www.pharostutors.com                   

National Institute for Genealogical Studies – Online courses and certificate program

Courses can be taken individually, in packages, or by certificate program. Certificates available in American, Australian, Canadian, English, German, Irish or Scottish records as well as Librarianship and General Methodology.

            www.genealogicalstudies.com

Boston University Center for Professional Education

Certificate in Genealogical Research – This fifteen week non-credit course is taught by excellent instructors who give feedback on the students’ work. The modules include: research foundations, problem solving techniques, technology, evidence evaluation and documentation, forensic genealogy, and professional Genealogy. http://genealogyonline.bu.edu