APG Blog

APG Announces Election Results

WESTMINSTER, Colo., November 21 – The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the world’s leading professional organization of family history and related professionals, announced the results of its 2008 election. Ten board members were elected to two-year terms for 2009-2010. Two nominating committee members were elected to one-year terms.

Region 1: West: Trish Hackett Nicola, CG (Washington) is currently a Region 1 director on the APG Board and chapter representative for the Puget Sound Chapter. Trish is on APG’s Chapter Activities Committee. Mary Penner (New Mexico) chairs the APG Publications Advisory Committee. She has been awarded research grants from the Kansas State Historical Society and the State Historical Society of Missouri. Her articles appear frequently in the Ancestry Weekly Journal and in many genealogical magazines.

Region 2: Midwest: Billie Stone Fogarty (Oklahoma) is president of the Oklahoma Genealogical Society and vice-president and program chair of the Oklahoma Home & Community Continuing Education Genealogy Group. She belongs to the Genealogical Speakers Guild and teaches continuing education classes. Paul Milner (Illinois) is co-author of A Genealogists Guide to Discovering your English Ancestors and A Genealogists Guide to Discovering your Scottish Ancestors, is a well-known speaker and author.

Region 3: Southeast: Donald Moore, CG (Virginia) is a Board-certified genealogist with an interest in colonial Virginia research. He is past president of the Virginia Beach Genealogical Society, vice president of the Virginia Genealogical Society, and editor of its newsletter. C. Ann Staley, CG (Florida) is a professional genealogist, consultant, instructor, and lecturer at local, state, and national levels. She is a board member of the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

Region 4: Northeast: Amy E.K. Arner (Pennsylvania) is a researcher specializing in Western Pennsylvania, the president of the Great Lakes Chapter, and a proofreader for the APG Quarterly. Karen Mauer Green (New York) holds an M.A. in Museum Studies and specializes in Huguenots, New York, and the Mid-Atlantic area. The owner of Frontier Press Bookstore, she has served APG as a trustee and regional vice-president.

International Region: Eileen M. O’Duill, CG (Ireland) specializes in international probate research and has lectured at national conferences in the United States and in Ireland. Jan Gow (New Zealand) is a tutor, lecturer, and presenter at the local, national, and international level since 1985, and served on the APG and New Zealand Society of Genealogists boards.

Nominations Committee: Donna Moughty (Florida) has chaired the Professional Management Conference from 2005–2008, is treasurer of the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and a delegate to the Federation of Genealogical Societies. David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FIGRS, FUGA (Utah) is employed by the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Director of the Planning and Coordination Division. A noted authority on Irish research, he is a past-president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and of the Utah Genealogical Association and a Fellow of the latter.

The Association of Professional Genealogists (http://www.apgen.org), established in 1979, represents over 1,800 genealogists, librarians, writers, editors, historians, instructors, booksellers, publishers, and others involved in genealogy-related businesses. APG encourages genealogical excellence, ethical practice, mentoring, and education. The organization also supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy, local, and social history. Its members represent all fifty states, Canada, and twenty-six other countries.

The June and September 2008 issues of the APGQ are now available as a PDF file in the Members Only section of the APG website. After logging into the Members Only area, click on APGQ in the menu on your left.

You will still receive the printed version via postal mail, but you can also view the Quarterly online. As Jake Gehring explained in his September president’s message, “It’s an additional member benefit to you and probably more convenient than the paper copy if you’re away from home. Add to that the bonus of every-word searching, and you get a really nice upgrade to our publication.”

The September issue was mailed in mid-October, so if you haven’t yet received your issue, you can check it out now in the members only area. We will continue to archive future issues of the APGQ in the members only area, and are also in the process of receiving permission from some authors to post articles from past issues.

Kathleen W. Hinckley, CG
Executive Director
Association of Professional Genealogists

SEPTEMBER 2008 APG PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

It’s the end of a long month and a long quarter, and sadly the warm weather is fading into autumn here in Salt Lake City. However, there is quite a bit to report from a great conference in Philadelphia, as well as a few other items of general interest:

1. APG QUARTERLY TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS AS PDF
APG has been eager to try out an electronic version of the APG Quarterly as part of the Members Only section of the APG web site. It’s an additional member benefit to you and probably more convenient than the paper copy if you’re away from home. Add to that the bonus of every-word searching, and you get a really nice upgrade to our publication. It’s not online quite yet, but I think it will be before my next President’s Message in October, so look for an announcement from our Executive Director shortly.

By the way, the Quarterly was two or three weeks late this quarter due to some late changes in article scheduling and some last-minute advertisement insertions. This means that you’ll be receiving your issue a bit later than usual. As we’ve discussed recently on the APG Mailing List, our membership does not receive the publication at exactly the same time-we just wanted to assure you that your issue is on its way.

2. NEWS ON THE RECORDS ACCESS AND PRESERVATION FRONT — PAHR PROPOSAL
We’d like to make you aware of a bill before the U.S. Congress proposing an increase in federal funding for state and local archival records. The bill is called “Preserving the American Historical Record” or “PAHR.” The funds could be used for the creation of finding aids, indexes, digital images, records preservation, education programs, etc. We advise you to become familiar with the bill at <http://www.archivists.org/pahr> . The legislation is still in its early stages, but it may be timely to contact your Representative and express support for the effort.

3. GENERAL NEWS FROM THE FGS CONFERENCE
I came away from the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Philadelphia feeling very grateful and pleased with the APG activities there. Though the conference itself was perhaps a bit under-attended, participation in APG events was strong. We had a wonderful roundtable on Tuesday evening with a great panel discussion on diversification. Thanks to Gary Mokotoff, Pam Boyer Sayre, Maureen Taylor, Laura Prescott, and Elissa Powell for their wisdom and experiences. Wednesday’s Professional Management Conference (PMC) was very successful, too, with great speakers and great participation from our attendees-over half of which had never attended a PMC before.

I feel good, too, about the APG Board Meeting that was held on Friday the 5th of September. We were able to discuss several very important items, including our next steps in the professionalism discussion. The past-presidents’ committee delivered to us a very helpful second report (soon to be posted in the Members Only section of the web site), and we have
now opted to separate the professionalism issues into two parts. The first part includes those action items for which there is broad consensus and which we can move along right away (e.g., conducting a survey of our membership to gather feedback on key professionalism issues, improvements to the APG web site).

The second part is comprised of items that need further discussion and investigation. These issues are thorny and require more time and input to consider properly. The past-presidents’ committee has recommended we create a working group to continue our research and move the ball forward. The APG Executive Committee is putting together a recommendation to the board on who should comprise this working group. In particular, we hope to find volunteers who represent a variety of interests and experiences. We will seek individuals who have been detached from the heated debates of the past year, though of course we wish the group to use the discussion and input so far to inform their work. If any of you have recommendations on potential members of such a group, please e-mail Kathy Hinckley, our Executive Director, at admin@apgen.org.

The past presidents’ committee will continue to advise us as we move forward, but in a more passive role. I’d like to thank them again for the work they’ve put into these reports. Separating these issues into short-term and long-term categories allows us to move forward now on important improvements. It also gives the us the time to follow an open and careful
path to a better organization in the future.

Thanks and have a great autumn!

Jake Gehring
APG President

The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) will conduct a roundtable on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 during the National Genealogical Society Conference at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The topic of the roundtable, which will be moderated by David Rencher, CG, is Into the Future with the Records Preservation and Access Committee. The roundtable will be held from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Chouteau A&B rooms.

Beverly Rice, CG, Roundtable Coordinator, encourages members to attend saying, “This is an opportunity for all conference attendees to become aware of our genealogy communities’ combined efforts to maintain access and preserve the world’s records. The topic of records preservation and access is of such importance to the genealogical community that APG has opened this roundtable to all interested individuals.�

The roundtable is normally open only to APG members; however, because of the importance of the topic all genealogists and interested parties are invited. In addition, the roundtable is an ideal time for APG members to network, share ideas and learn how other professionals market themselves.

The Association of Professional Genealogists (http://www.apgen.org/), founded in 1979, is the sole organization representing genealogy as a profession. It supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy, local and social history. Its members represent all fifty states and several countries. The association promotes excellence in genealogical research, teaching, and writing.

Call for Papers

Professional Management Conference (PMC)

sponsored by the

Association of Professional Genealogists

2 September 2009

Little Rock, Arkansas

in conjunction with

Federation of Genealogical Societies’ Conference

Deadline for Submission: 1 March 2008

Lecture proposals for the 2009 Professional Management Conference are now being accepted. The theme for the conference, Get Your Business On Target encourages all members of the genealogical profession to look at ways to improve both their genealogical and their business skills.

Lectures should:

* Challenge genealogical professionals to think outside the box

* Help professionals evaluate and review their current business

* Encourage professionals to meet the demands of the twenty-first-century client

Lectures must be new, original, and on topics relevant to professional genealogists, but do not need to be specifically genealogical. Presentations from other professional fields that would benefit professional genealogists will be considered. Lectures will be one hour, including questions; however, consideration will be given to longer or interactive presentations.

Proposals should be submitted electronically to admin@apgen.org either in Microsoft Word or PDF format and should include the following:

* Name, address, telephone, fax, and e-mail address of speaker

* Title of the presentation

* Detailed description of the presentation (one or two paragraph summary)

* Short (50 words or less) summary for the program brochure

* Short (50 words or less) biography for the program brochure

* Biography of 150 words for publicity and PMC syllabus

* Audio visual requirements

* Recent lectures given

Honorarium is $400 for a one hour lecture and $650 for a two-hour workshop.

Founded in 1979, APG (http://www.apgen.org) is the world’s leading professional organization of family history and related professionals.

Deadline Approaches for Youth Scholarship

Educational Conference Scholarship Designed to Encourage and Support Newcomers

Â
WESTMINSTER, Colo., Feb. 2 – The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) is providing a scholarship opportunity for a young genealogist to attend its annual Professional Management Conference (PMC). The deadline for the Young Professional Scholarship is rapidly approaching. Applications must be received by February 28, 2008.

Â
The recipient, who will be selected in the spring, will attend the conference on September 3, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The PMC is held in conjunction with the Federation of Genealogical Societies annual conference. The scholarship includes conference registration and a $500 award toward travel and accommodations. Further information on the conference can be found at http://www.apgen.org/conferences.

Â
Candidates for the 2008 award must be between the ages of 18 and 25 years as of 1 May 2008, be enrolled as a high school senior, undergraduate, post graduate or graduate within the last twelve months of an accredited university or college, and have at least a 3.0 gpa (on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent in another averaging system).

Â
The application requirements include

 ·        Listing of extracurricular activities, organizations, and volunteer activities;

·        A letter of recommendation from a dean, principal, or faculty advisor that also indicates the applicant’s current or graduating grade point average; and

·        A letter of recommendation from an individual who has witnessed the applicant’s interest in genealogy.

Â
Applicants also must submit 500-750 word answers to each of two questions relative to genealogical records and the applicants’ anticipated career.Â

Â
Complete scholarship requirements and an application form are on the APG website at www.apgen.org/scholarship . Applications must be returned to the APG office no later than February 28, 2008. The recipient will be announced by April 30, 2008.

Â
The Association of Professional Genealogists is an independent organization whose worldwide members number 1,800. The group’s principal purpose is to support professional genealogists in all phases of their work: from the amateur genealogist wishing to turn knowledge and skill into a vocation, to the experienced professional seeking to exchange ideas with colleagues and to upgrade the profession as a whole.

Â

Contact: Kathleen W. Hinckley, CG, Executive Director,

Association of Professional Genealogists

P.O. Box 350998, Westminster, CO 80035-0998

Phone 303-422-9371, fax 303-456-8825, e-mail admin@apgen.org

Â

The June issue of the APGQ was mailed this week. The cover story is “Family Reunions – A New Source for Finding Clients?” by Sandra MacLean Clunies, CG. Other articles include “Being Money Smart – Navigating Your Financial Horizons” by Heather Henderson; “Digital Storytelling – A High-tech Twist on Family History Presentations” by Midge Frazel, M.Ed.; “Making it Count – A Website Is an Integral Part of Your Business” by D. Joshua Taylor; and “Accessible Advice – Three Valuable Resources for Professionals” by Maureen Taylor. Roberta “Bobbi” King’s Professional Profiles feature Leslie Corn, FASG, CG (New York); Lou-Jean Holland Rehn, CG (Colorado); and Cecile Wendt Jensen, CG (Michigan).