More Genealogy Education Goals and My Progress, Part I

After writing my educational goals last January, it became apparent that while they were OK goals, they were't specific enough.

This table below shows the specific skill areas that I feel I need to grow. I'm very comfortable with many record types but recognize that I need to learn more about many others.

There are also some research skill areas I need to improve on. I've been searching on the Internet for over twenty years, now I need to research on the Internet. That is, I need to make my searches more concentrated toward a specific task rather than blind searches for whatever may pop up. Sources and citations will be an area that I need to continually work on.

The geographic locations are areas that apply to my personal research and that may change and grow as either new information in uncovered or as I help others in their research.

And the writing skills are the areas I would like to improve in before I publish my ancestors' stories.

Record Types	Research Skills	Geographic Locations	Writing Skills
Land and property	Sources and citations	Northeast: New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts	Beyond the family tree
Wills and probate	Maps and plat books	Midwest: Ohio, Illinois	Using historical context
Historical law	Online searches	Europe: Czech Republic	Editing
DNA	Finding female ancestors	Scandinavia: Iceland, Norway	Copyright
Federal records			Layout and publishing

After I made this table, I started listing ways that I might start building those skills and turned them into long-term goals (not just goals for 2015).

1. I will read scholarly journals.
2. I will attend a genealogical institute. 
3. I will attend one or more conferences.
4. I will participate in webinars. 
5. I will continue to build my library, read books and participate in book studies. 
6. I will work with unfamiliar record types.
7. I will keep a record my educational activities and evaluate them quarterly.

The seventh goal, "I will keep a record my educational activities and evaluate them quarterly," is actually the reason behind this post. I have been very faithful in recording my activities this year. What follows is my evaluation of the work I have done in the last 6-7 months toward building those skills.

I use Excel to track my educational activities. Tabs across the bottom of the workbook are labeled:

• Webinars
• Institutes
• Conferences
• Book Studies
• Article Studies

The columns in each worksheet are similarly labeled but vary slightly for each activity type. Typical column headings are:

• Date - the date I participated or viewed
• Sponsoring Organization - conference, institutes, or society sponsoring event
• Presenter - name and credentials, if known
• GenTopic - general genealogy topic, say "Research Skills"
• SubTopic - topic sub-category, say "Online Searches"
• Length - time spent viewing or attending
• Handout - link to downloaded handout (organized on my computer)
• Notes - link to notes taken (organized on my computer)
• Rating - mini-review on topic and/or speaker

Goal 1- "I will read scholarly journals."

I have probably tripled the amount of time I spend reading journals as compared to years past. However, I need to spend more time studying the articles. I joined an National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) Study Group and need to make an effort to schedule myself accordingly. These are the journals I subscribe to:

• Association of Professional Genealogists; "APG Quarterly"
• Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International; "Nase rodina" (Our family)
• Minnesota Genealogical Society; "Minnesota Genealogist"
• Minnesota Historical Society; "Minnesota History"
• National Genealogical Society; "NGS Magazine" and "NGSQuarterly" (e-magazine)
• New England Historic and Genealogical Society; "NEHGS Register", "American Ancestors"
• New York Genealogical and Biographical Society; "The New York Researcher", "The Record"
• Southern California Genealogical Society; "The Searcher"

Goal 2- "I will attend a genealogical institute."

I met this goal by attending IGHR, Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, in June 2015. I could stop there and just say I met this goal. But instead I want to encourage anyone who might read this to participate in IGHR or one of the other institutes available. There are several including:

• GRIP, Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh
• SLIG, Salt Lake Institue of Genealogy
• NIGR, National Institute on Genealogical Research
• IGHR, Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research

There are also institutes on genetic genealogy and one or more virtual institutes. If there are others, I would love to hear about them as I have heard nothing but wonderful things about each of the ones listed above. And my own experience was beyond expectations, one of the best values for my genealogy dollars.

The list of speakers at the week-long IGHR in June reads like a "Who's Who" in genealogy expertise. The coordinator of the Intermediate Genealogy & Historical Studies course that I took was Angela McGhie and I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed the course. I also learned so much from Angela and her guest speakers. Fun & learning - you can't beat that! Speakers (and their topics) during the week-long course included:

• Thomas W. Jones (Using Evidence)
• Debbie Parker Wayne (Tax Rolls; DNA)
• Kimberly T. Powell (Online Searches; Manuscript Collections)
• John Phillip Colletta (Immigration & Naturalization)
• Gerald Smith (Local & State Land Records)
• Michael Strauss (Military Records)
• Judy G. Russell (Court Records)
• Angela McGhie (Essential Skills; Vital Record Alternatives; Advanced Census Research; Federal Land Records; Historic Newspapers; Wills and Probate; Evidence Review, Techniques)

The session topics were very closely aligned to my genealogy goals, particularly in Record Types and Research Skills, so I feel that this course was especially suited for me and my goals.

I plan to attend another Institute in the coming year. Because I have family in Birmingham, it may be IGHR as 2016 is the last year it will be held at Samford University. But I have heard such wonderful things about SLIG, GRIP and NIGR; it's a very tough decision.

I will continue my evaluation of my progress toward my goals in Part II.

Reaching for My 2015 Genealogy Education Goals

It's been months since my last post, but they were busy months. My last post was on my 2015 Genealogy Education Goals and this post will look at how I am doing so far.

The last post ended with these goals: I will...

1. make it to the end of 2015 still up-to-date with all my readings and homework in ProGen 25.
2. successfully complete Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group 37.
3. learn to critically read articles in professional genealogy registers.
4. follow the GenLaw Study Group on Dear Myrtle's YouTube channel.
5. continue to add to my research library.
6. visit at least one courthouse for research.

So let's see what I've accomplished so far and what I need to do to accomplish those goals.

The first goal was to be up-to-date with readings and homework in ProGen 25. ProGen is an 18-month study course for learning professional genealogy research skills by reading and collaboratively studying the book, Professional Genealogy by Elizabeth Shown Mills. October 2015 marks the 8th of 18 months and I am proud to say I am up-to-date so far. I am a co-leader of our Wednesday group and it is a wonderful learning experience. Even though we are just under half-way through the course, I would recommend this course for anyone considering genealogy as a field of practice or study.

Goal #2 was to successfully complete the Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group 37. This study group studied and discussed the Thomas W. Jones book, Mastering Genealogical Proof for approximately 12 weeks. I had previously followed two of Dear Myrtle's study groups of the same title and so was familiar with the book. Even so, this group study was challenging as the topic is complex. But it is a critical piece to the professional genealogist's toolbox. I was successful at this goal also and was recently rewarded with a certificate of completion.

The third goal was to learn to critically read articles in professional genealogy journals. I will be the first to say I am not an expert. However, I find that looking at the appendix articles in in the Mastering Genealogical Proof Study Group has changed the way I read articles. When I first started reading journals, I only read articles that I thought pertained to my research. Then I started reading other articles but I only glanced at the footnotes or endnotes while reading the article. Now, the footnotes and/or endnotes are first thing I look at. I try to read more critically and see if I agree with the author's conclusions. And when I find an article that covers an geographical location or topic that I am particularly interested in, I note the sources in the articles in case they may have information that I need. I joined an article study group but have only met with them one time due to scheduling issues on my part. I hope to continue to meet as this is an skill I need to grow.

Goal #4 was to follow the GenLaw Study Group on Dear Myrtle's YouTube channel. This study group read and studied the book Genealogy and the Law by Kay Haviland Freilich and William B. Freilich. I did follow through with this goal but recognize that this is an area that I need to grow in, also. What I appreciate about following the study groups with Dear Myrtle is that they are very non-threatening but still rigorous. That is, as rigorous as the follower wants to be. You can study along with the group or just observe. So it is a great introduction to the more difficult topics.

The fifth goal is always a fun thing for me. I love collecting so building a genealogy library was not a chore at all. Of course, I need to build it somewhat slowly as I can't afford to buy all the books I want at once. The book mentioned above, Professional Genealogy, has a wonderful list of sources and recommended reading at the end of each chapter. I used these suggestions when building my library. When available, I purchased or found ebooks online. But my library already fills three tall bookcases. So far I have catalogued about 80% of the books and plan to do the rest soon if for no other reason than to prevent duplicate purchases.

And as for goal #6: so far I am a dismal failure. Although I have broadened my knowledge by attending at least three lectures on the topic of courthouses and legal records, I have yet to visit a courthouse. I still have about 90 days so it is still something I hope to check off my to-do list.

I also created a more detailed list of topics and skills that I need to improve on, and will share that list and my 6 month progress toward those goals in my next post.

My Professional Genealogy Goals

I expect to retire from my current profession within the next few years. Even though I don't anticipate taking fee-paying clients, I won't rule it out at this time. I do want to lend authenticity to my work, volunteer in a genealogy society, and teach genealogy; and so I would like to become a certified genealogist. ProGenStudy offers a 19-month study course with a mentor. I have signed up for the waiting list and am excited to study with others who have the same goal.

In the application process for the ProGenStudy group, I included the following genealogy goals:

– to attain one or more credentials in professional genealogy, lecturing and/or instructing.
– to complete eight professional quality family studies for my own family: one for each of my children's great-grandparents.
– to work and/or volunteer in one or more of our local historical societies: the Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota Genealogical Society and the Dakota County (MN) Historical Society are all nearby.
– to teach and/or lecture especially to those who are just beginning their family research, either through a local society or through community education classes.
– to continue to visit local, national and international libraries and research centers.

I will add one more:

- to build a genealogy reference library with print and ebooks to support my learning and research. 

I list them here because I have found that keeping my goals visible inspires me to work toward them.

The reference library has been difficult to research as there seems to be no single point of reference for high-quality genealogy reference books by topic or locality that I can find. So I have been using bibliographies, blog posts, and other finding aids to determine which books will be helpful to my research.

I'm not sure which certification I will work for, but I anticipate that the study group will help guide me in the right direction. I hope to use this blog to document my progress when I am accepted into the GenProStudy group.

Any comments guiding me toward a certification decision are certainly welcome!