Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh

CONTINUING GENEALOGICAL EDUCATION

No matter where you are on the learning continuum line from novice to advanced, you need to continually update your genealogical education and skills. Choosing the best options for you takes matching the right opportunities to your needs and budget, and some thoughtful planning.

Just like a research plan, a plan for continuing your genealogical education is extremely helpful and should be revisited often. Planning your personal sequence of events according to your available time and money should take into consideration your current experience level along with any other commitments you may have, whether personal or business. Some events can be attended concurrently but others might need to be sequential. Staying abreast of new opportunities helps to keep your education plan current.

Self-assessing your best learning situations

What is your experience level? o	Are you a genealogical beginner, intermediate, or advanced? o	What is your comfort and level of experience with computers?

What do you need to learn? o	Specific topics to address weaknesses or fill in your knowledge base o	Specific new areas where your research has taken you (Germany, New York State, Italy, etc.) o	Specific techniques (i.e., transcribing, abstracting, evidence analysis?) o	Specific skills for an upcoming project (writing, database management?)

Learning style? o	Do you learn better interacting with an instructor and asking questions (auditory learner)? o	Do you desire direct individualized feedback? o	Do you need visuals as well as reading prepared material (visual learner)? o	Do you need hands-on experiences (tactile learner)?

Smorgasbord or full meal? o	Do you want to taste a little bit of various topics in your experience? o	Do you want to delve deeply into one topic? Travel flexibility? o	Can you arrange your daily life so you can travel to places with learning events? o	Can you “piggy back” other purposes for the travel, such as research or business?

Cost? o	What is the cost-benefit ratio? o	Learning what you need most, and have an application for, saves time and money spent on things you may already know or cannot soon use. o	Scholarships are available for some opportunities.

POPULAR LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

INSTITUTES 	British Institute held each fall in Salt Lake City, Utah, and takes advantage of the Family History Library in its four courses; http://www.isbgfh.org 	Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) at LaRoche College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; six courses held in June and another six in July; registration begins in February. http://www.GRIPitt.org 	Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) at Samford University; ten courses held each June; registration begins in January. http://samford.libguides.com/ighr 	National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR) at the National Archives in Washington, DC; one course limited to 40 students held in July; registration begins in February. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~natgenin 	Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy; multiple courses held in January for one week; most topics rotate each year; registration opens the summer before. http://www.infouga.org

CONFERENCES 	National Genealogical Society Annual Conference most often held in May each year in various cities. http://www.NGSgenealogy.org 	Federation of Genealogical Societies held in August or September each year in various cities. http://www.FGS.org 	APG Professional Management Conference held before the FGS conference; single day of professional issues and Skillbuilding. http://www.APGen.org 	Brigham Young University Conference on Family History and Genealogy; four days multi-track in July in Provo, Utah. http://ce.byu.edu/cw/cwgen 	New England Regional Conference held in April of odd years in various New England cities; multi-track; special interest group discussions. http://www.NERGC.org 	Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree held in June each year in Burbank; multi-track; many hands-on workshops. http://www.SCGSgenealogy.com

PLANNING 1.) Investigate each opportunity for where it will be held and when. 2.) Map out the next year or two of courses or conferences you would like to attend. 3.) Mark the opening registration dates on your calendar as some institute courses can sell out rapidly--some as quick as 5 minutes. There are usually waitlists in that case. 4.) Go and enjoy the learning experience!