[Editor's Note: thanks to the generosity of professional genealogist and FGS supporter Debbe A. Hagner, here is a transcription of the Saturday, October 22, 2011 broadcast of FGS Radio: My Society entitled If Your Society Folded Today, Would Anyone Care?]
Click here to access the transcription (opens in PDF - Adobe Reader required).
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
FGS Announces Two New Member Benefits - Website and Newsletter Reviews
Genealogy Society Website and Newsletter Reviews
October 26, 2011 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) is pleased to announce two new member benefits for genealogical societies, historical societies, and family associations.
The first new benefit is a free review of an organization’s website. A member society can request a review of one, several, or all areas of its website. The review may include suggestions for design, layout, format, font use and contrast, ease of navigation and use, effective use of graphics, and inclusion of content.
The second new benefit is a free review of an organization’s newsletter, regardless of whether it is printed or electronic. A member society can submit two consecutive newsletters and request a complete review or ask specific questions. The review may include suggestions concerning design elements and format, including use of specific fonts, placement of graphical elements, and use of white space. It also may include suggestions for additional content. An organization working to “go green” and produce an electronic newsletter can receive feedback on how to format and create a quality newsletter using PDF software.
These two new member benefits along with the free review of a society’s bylaws represent some of the many services that FGS provides to its members to help them become more effective and efficient. Information about each of these services and how to submit materials to FGS for review can be found in the Members Only area of the FGS website at http://fgs.org/membersonly/.
Monday, October 24, 2011
FGS Radio - How Special Interest Groups Can Add to Your Society
Click here to create a reminder to listen to FGS Radio:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/10/29/how-special-interest-groups-can-add-to-your-society
Saturday, October 29, 2011
2-3pm Eastern US
1-2pm Central US
12-1pm Mountain US
11am-12pm Pacific US
Join us for the next episode of FGS Radio - My Society, an Internet radio show on Blog talk Radio presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
This week’s episode hosted by George G. Morgan is entitled How Special Interest Groups Can Add to Your Society. Our guest will be Carol Rooksby Weidlich, President of the Lee County Genealogical Society (LCGS) in Ft. Myers, Florida. Carol will discuss the importance of having special interest groups in a genealogy society and how LCGS has found success in leverage this concept. In addition, we’ll be highlighting FGS member society, the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington in our weekly Society Spotlight feature.
Guests
Carol Rooksby Weidlich was born and raised in Rochester, NY and relocated to Connecticut for school and lived most of her adult life in the Hartford area. In 2000, she and her husband Jim took early retirement and relocated to North Fort Myers, Florida. Carol began serious family history and genealogy research in 1998.
She is President, Membership Chair and Webmaster of the Lee County Genealogical Society, Inc. in Ft. Meyers, Florida. Carol is also Director, Webmaster and Newsletter Editor of the Friends of the Fort Myers Library, Ft. Myers, Florida; member and webmaster of the Southwest Florida Germanic Genealogy Society, Inc.; a member of the Jefferson County (NY) Genealogy Society; a member of the Estero Island Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Carol is researching family history in New York; Connecticut; Ontario, Canada; England and Germany.
Links:
- Lee County Genealogical Society
http://lcgsfl.org
- Southwest Florida Germanic Genealogical Society
http://swflgg.org
- Friends of the Fort Myers Library
http://www.fortmyersfriends.org
Society Spotlight
The Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington (JGSGW) was formed in 1980 to:
- Collect, preserve, and disseminate Jewish genealogical knowledge and information
- Promote interest in genealogical research
- Stimulate and provide instruction in the use of research methodology and adherence to standards of accuracy and thoroughness in research
- Foster careful documentation and to promote scholarly genealogical writing and publication
- Promote the preservation of Jewish genealogical records and resources
- Hold meetings for the instruction and education of its members and the general public
- Conduct such other purposes as the organization shall from time to time elect to pursue.
"JGSGW" is the acronym for the “Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington, Inc.", an independent non-profit organization, focused on promoting genealogy and education.
JGSGW was formed in 1980 by Dr. Sallyann Sack with the encouragement of Rabbi Dr. Malcolm Stern, known as the “father of Jewish Genealogy.” The society provides a common meeting place for those persons interested in tracing their Jewish ancestral roots and promotes genealogical education in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.
In 1981, JGSGW was incorporated in Maryland and Dr. Sack became the first president of the organization. Among the first activities was to begin a genealogy library and start a newsletter. The library currently has more than 2,000 items in its catalog, including books, maps and an extensive collection of recordings of lectures on a myriad of subjects related to Jewish genealogy. The name “Mishpacha” was selected for the newsletter and the publication has been continuous for more than 30 years.
The greater Washington, DC area abounds in repositories that are a treasure trove for genealogy researchers. As a result, it is a highly desirable site for genealogical conferences and JGSGW has hosted four international Jewish genealogy conferences. (1982, 1988, 1995, and 2003). A conference planned for August, 2011 will mark the fifth conference. It will feature and highlight the holdings of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Library of Congress (LOC).
Among the outstanding research accomplishments of JGSGW are the indexing of the two oldest Jewish cemeteries in Washington, DC: Macpela (Adas Israel) and Washington Hebrew Congregation.
In 2008, the society undertook the indexing and photographic documentation of the Jewish burials at Arlington National Cemetery. This project was started by the late Kenneth Poch and after his death it was turned over to JGSGW. The project currently has more than 5,000 graves included in the index
JGSGW is a member of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS), the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), and the National Genealogical Society (NGS).
The Society is open to all those interested in Jewish genealogy.
Links
- Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington
http://www.jewishgen.org/jgsgw/
Join Us Each Saturday Afternoon at FGS Radio
Tune in to FGS Radio – My Society each week to learn more about genealogy societies and join in a discussion of the issues impacting the genealogical community.
Friday, October 21, 2011
FGS Radio - If Your Society Folded Today, Would Anyone Care?
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http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/10/22/if-your-society-folded-today-would-anyone-care
Saturday, October 22, 2011
2-3pm Eastern US
1-2pm Central US
12-1pm Mountain US
11am-12pm Pacific US
Join us for the next episode of FGS Radio - My Society, an Internet radio show on Blog talk Radio presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
This week’s episode hosted by Thomas MacEntee is entitled If Your Society Folded Today, Would Anyone Care? Our guest will be FGS Director Randy Whited whose recent blog post at 1000memories.com entitled We’re Doing It Wrong has generated an important discussion on the survival of genealogy societies. In addition, we’ll be highlighting FGS member society, North Hills Genealogists in our weekly Society Spotlight feature.
Guests
Randy Whited
Randy W. Whited, an avid genealogist for over 25 years, is an active member of several Texas genealogical organizations and a Director of the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS). As a member of the Austin Genealogical Society since 2005, Randy has been involved with the Society by teaching beginner’s classes, leading monthly and special programs and is currently serving a second term on its Board of Directors. Randy is in his fourth year as Editor of the AGS Quarterly, for which he has twice been honored by the Texas State Genealogical Society. Randy is also serving as 2nd Vice President of the Williamson County Genealogical Society and is frequently a speaker there. A lifelong Texan, Randy is an alumnus of the University of Texas, having graduated with a BA in Astronomy. He resides in Pflugerville, Texas with his wife and twin daughters.
Links:
- Austin Genealogical Society
http://www.austintxgensoc.org
- Williamson County Genealogical Society
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txwcgs/index.htm
Society Spotlight
North Hills Genealogists was founded in 1990. We coordinate projects, such as reading and publishing cemetery records, and helping Boy Scouts with their Eagle Scout projects. Our first cemetery inscription book was Pioneer Cemeteries of Hampton Township, Allegheny County, Pa. It includes not only complete readings for the Pine Creek, Depreciation Lands, and Hampton Cemeteries, but also the lot owners' book for the latter and a guide to the other cemeteries in Hampton Township. Each stone has been recorded exactly with dates, relationships, epitaphs, stone carvers' names, and other notations. An everyname index includes maiden names when known.
Meetings are on the third Tuesday of every month, except December, starting at 7:00 P.M. Our meetings are held at Northland Library. More details and directions are on the CALENDAR page. All meetings are free and open to the public. For more information email: INFO@NorthHillsGenealogists.org.
The monthly meetings each feature a guest speaker addressing the group on a subject related to genealogy. A “roundtable discussion” is periodically scheduled instead of a lecture, giving each person a chance to ask questions or tell of a great find. We also have a “freebie” table of interesting genealogical pamphlets and booklets and a “for sale” table with genealogical bargains.
We arrange field trips to repositories and locations such as Washington DC, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Western Reserve Library in Cleveland, Ohio, and the West Virginia University Library in Morgantown, WV.
We publish a monthly newsletter (except for December or July), which is indexed in PERSI. It includes articles to help you find resources, tips on how to do better genealogy, announcements of upcoming genealogical events, and both member and non-member queries.
Dues are $15 per year (August through the following July). Back issues of the newsletter will be sent to mid-year newcomers.
Links:
- North Hills Genealogists
http://www.northhillsgenealogists.org
Join Us Each Saturday Afternoon at FGS Radio
Tune in to FGS Radio – My Society each week to learn more about genealogy societies and join in a discussion of the issues impacting the genealogical community.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
FGS Board Members Featured at 1000memories.com Genealogy Roundtable
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1000memories.com is sponsoring an on-line Family History Month Genealogy Roundtable the week of October 17, 2011 featuring two FGS Directors, Thomas MacEntee and Randy Whited and FGS Webmaster Amy Johnson Crow.
The focus of the roundtable, according to 1000memories.com is "while there are so many new tools available and genealogy has 'hit the mainstream' most people are still left wanting." The roundtable panelists, which also include genealogy blogger Caroline Pointer of 4YourFamilyStory, will each give their own perspective as to what new tools, applications, and educational offerings are need in the genealogy industry in order to maintain interest in family history among the general population.
You can follow the discussion all next week at the 1000memories.com blog at http://1000memories.com/blog.
FGS 2011 Election Results
New Board Members and Directors Include Kim Kasprzyk,
Polly Kimmitt and Angela Walton-Raji
Polly Kimmitt and Angela Walton-Raji
With the recent election results, Pat Oxley, President of FGS states, “I'm thrilled to have this talented group of genealogists bring their experience and skills to the FGS board.”
Re-Elected FGS Board Members
The following board members and directors were re-elected:
- George G. Morgan (Florida) – Vice-President Membership
- Curt B. Witcher (Indiana) – Vice-President Development
- Loretto “Lou” Szucs (Illinois) – Director
New FGS Board Members
The following board members and directors were newly elected:
- Kim Kasprzyk (Illinois) – Treasurer
- Polly FitzGerald Kimmitt CG℠ (Massachusetts) – Director
- Angela Walton-Raji (Maryland) – Director
- Randy Whited* (Texas) – Director
*Whited was first appointed to the FGS board as a Director in early 2011 and elected outright in this recent election.
Certified Genealogist and CG are proprietary service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® used by the Board to identify its program of genealogical competency evaluation and used under license by the Board’s associates.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
FGS Radio - Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner and Your Genealogy Society
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http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/10/15/flip-pal-mobile-scanner-and-your-genealogy-society
Saturday, October 15, 2011
2-3pm Eastern US
1-2pm Central US
12-1pm Mountain US
11am-12pm Pacific US
Join us for the next episode of FGS Radio - My Society, an Internet radio show on Blog talk Radio presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
This week’s episode hosted by Thomas MacEntee is entitled Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner and Your Genealogy Society. Our guest will be Walt Grady of Couragent, Inc., the innovative maker of the Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner. We’ll discuss how the Flip-Pal scanner can be used to not only help digitize your society’s holding but also to increase your society’s membership or bring in additional income. In addition, we’ll be highlighting FGS member society, German Genealogy Group in our weekly Society Spotlight feature.
Guests
Walt has over two decades of experience planning and implementing organizational improvements working with international technology leaders. He has worked extensively with all business functions and has in-depth experience launching new organizations and improving overall customer satisfaction. Walt worked at Hewlett-Packard as an organization effectiveness specialists and a customer support manger. With Agilent Technologies, he was a customer loyalty program manager serving seventeen world-wide locations. Walt also has background in the U.S. Navy as a pilot and emergency response planner. Following 9/11, he served as the planning chief for the first bi-national Canadian-U.S. Civil Assistance Plan. Walt loves living in Colorado and renews with mountaineering. He is also involved with non-profits serving people with disabilities.
Links:
- Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner
http://flip-pal.com
- Flip-Pal™ Mobile Scanner Affiliate Program
http://flip-pal-affiliates.com
- Flip-Pal™ Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/FlipPal
- Flip-Pal™ Twitter page
http://twitter.com/mobilescanning
- Flip-Pal™ YouTube
http://www.YouTube.com/TheFlipPal
Society Spotlight
This week's Society Spotlight features the German Genealogy Group.
The German Genealogy Group (GGG) is a not for profit organization that was established in early 1996 to provide mutual support among those interested in researching their Germanic ancestors. Members are eligible for the following:
- Newsletter - All members receive a subscription to our monthly newsletter full of interesting information and helpful hints.
- Surname Directory File - A submission form is provided to all members to list the surnames they are researching. Copies of the Surname Directory will be available.
- Mentoring - A mentoring service allows members to ask for help on genealogical problems. Mentoring does not perform genealogical research, but rather matches newer researchers up with experienced ones.
- Translation & Interpretation - For those members who need help translating documents and letters, assistance will be available from the Translation Committee.
- Lending library of books, periodicals, CD-ROMS, and maps on Germanic genealogy.
Meetings are held at 7:30 PM on the first Thursday of each month, September through June, at the Hicksville VFW, Post #3211 at 320 South Broadway (Route 107), Hicksville, NY.
A "First Timers" orientation starts at 7 PM. Meetings usually feature an interesting and informative speaker, Q & A periods, workshops and experience sharing. Visitors are always welcomed.
More about the German Genealogy Group
- We invite any person interested in researching their Germanic heritage to join the German Genealogy Group and share experiences with those who range from beginners to professional genealogists.
- We are an organization that was established in early 1996 by a group of knowledgeable and dedicated genealogists interested in providing support to all those researching their Germanic ancestors.
- We have grown to a membership of over 900 which includes members not only from all across the United States, but several foreign countries as well. We have grown not only in our membership, but also in our purpose and goals.
- We work together in assisting our members find their ‘roots’ by providing help sessions, finding aids, lectures, mentoring, a monthly newsletter, translation services, an extensive CD and book lending library and a forum to meet and discuss research problems and solutions.
- We look to promote and encourage an interest in genealogy, educate members, and to help preserve, computerize and make available important and endangered records to be shared by all members of the genealogy community.
- We share a mutual interest in genealogy and make every effort to make the GGG member experience as enjoyable and rewarding as possible. We participate in Family History Fairs, GGG Spring and Fall dinners, genealogy record preservation projects and group trips to genealogy repositories and places of genealogical interest.
- Join us and discover that family research is the most interesting and rewarding hobby that will enable you to discover your past and preserve your heritage for future generations. Be a part of the fastest growing hobby today!
Join Us Each Saturday Afternoon at FGS Radio
Tune in to FGS Radio – My Society each week to learn more about genealogy societies and join in a discussion of the issues impacting the genealogical community.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
FGS Radio - Focus on Genealogy Society Bylaws
Click here to create a reminder to listen to FGS Radio:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/10/08/focus-on-genealogy-society-bylaws
Saturday, October 8, 2011
2-3pm Eastern US
1-2pm Central US
12-1pm Mountain US
11am-12pm Pacific US
Join us for the next episode of FGS Radio - My Society, an Internet radio show on Blog talk Radio presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
This week’s episode hosted by Drew Smith is entitled Focus on Genealogy Society Bylaws. Special guest Robert “Bobbi” King will join us as we review issues involved with society bylaws and ways to use them to strengthen your organization. In addition, we’ll be highlighting the Anchorage Genealogical Society in our weekly Society Spotlight feature.
Guests
She lectures locally and nationally on federal land records, and is the author of the NGS Nebraska Researching in the States research guide. She is a regular contributor to the quarterly of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Bobbi is a former member of the board of directors for the Federation of Genealogical Societies, where she served as FGS parliamentarian and editor of the Society Strategies Series papers. She has served as a volunteer and officer for numerous local Colorado genealogical organizations.
Bobbi is a career medical technologist working for Kaiser Permanente in Denver. She lives in Lakewood where she shares a home with her Better Half, Will. She is a mother and grandmother, dividing her time among grandchildren, genealogy, and career.
Links:
- Association of Professional Genealogists Profile for Roberta “Bobbi” King
http://www.apgen.org/directory/search_detail.html?mbr_id=1476
- Federation of Genealogical Society Bylaws
http://fgs.org/about/bylaws.php
- FGS Bylaws Review
http://fgs.org/membership/bylaws.php
Society Spotlight
This week's Society Spotlight features Anchorage Genealogical Society.
- Mission Statement: The goals of the Anchorage Genealogical Society are to educate and foster interest in genealogy among members and others; to assemble, preserve and make available genealogical records--especially Alaskan records; to provide links to existing sources of genealogical information; and to furnish aid and assistance to those in need of genealogical information or help.
- Monthly Meetings: We meet on the First Wednesday of the month in the Public Conference Room on the first floor of the Z. J. Loussac Library from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The Library is located at the corner of 36th Avenue and Denali Street. Our programs are focused on methods that are general and/or specific to different locations around the world. We also have great refreshments!
- Anchorage Genealogical Society
http://www.anchoragegenealogy.org
Join Us Each Saturday Afternoon at FGS Radio
Tune in to FGS Radio – My Society each week to learn more about genealogy societies and join in a discussion of the issues impacting the genealogical community.http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2011/10/08/focus-on-genealogy-society-bylaws
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