Bobbi King, a FGS Board Member, is in charge of a very special part of FGS Conferences. Each year “Societies on Parade” showcases genealogical, historical, and family organizations that are members of FGS. It is a benefit of membership. Bobbi wants the blog to inform you about this special conference feature:

It is the annual opportunity for societies to place their brochures, press releases, other publicity items, photographs, publication examples, details on website content, and other material for conference attendees from around the U.S. to read. Each year the conference has a growing number of registrants and vendors from other countries.

Generally, societies place membership applications, meeting/seminar/class locations and dates, and news about society special events on the tables for all to read. Some societies showcase a new publication by placing a display copy (of a book or CD) out on the table; other societies put up display boards with colorful, attention-grabbing flyers and photos showcasing past and future society achievements and activities. The boards could include covers and tables of contents from society print and electronic publications.

In the Exhibit Hall, there will be several tables set apart under the “Societies on Parade” banner drawing attention to the materials placed beneath. Generally, there are about nine square feet of space available per society, but this is not a restriction; FGS seeks to provide spacing for every member society.

Only FGS member societies may display materials. If your organization is not currently a member of FGS, check out the FGS Website for membership details and benefits.

• If your society would like to have brochures and other material placed out onto the tables, you may send society items to:
  • Pat Oxley, FGS Vice-President of Administration
  • 2012 Red Oak Circle
  • Round Rock, TX 78681

• The items must be postmarked by July 25. Items sent after that date will not be forwarded to Philadelphia and will not be displayed or returned.

Most societies have members bring materials when they attend the FGS Conference and they place the display items out on the reserved tables.

Word of caution: these tables are not personally supervised, so do not bring or send display items too valuable to be lost. We periodically tend the tables, and they will be inside the Exhibit Hall but essentially, it’s a self-service function. Be sure to have someone pick up your items by mid-afternoon on Saturday as FGS will not be shipping items back due to the cost of shipping.

For more information you may contact Bobbi King at Rking24600@aol.com. It would be helpful if you let Bobbi know if you will be bringing items directly to the conference, so that we reserve space for your group.

FGS appreciates the work and accomplishments of all our member societies, and we hope this opportunity provides some national attention for your organizations. Don’t forget to check Societies on Parade to see what other organizations are doing. This may give you some ideas for future events, publications, and website contents.

Wendy Bebout Elliot, FGS President, sent this tip for the blog:

For those who haven’t made their travel plans, be sure to check the economy airlines and check flying into Baltimore, Maryland, or New York’s JFK or another site with lower fares. There are easy-to-access metro lines from all of these airports that take you directly to the Philly airport and even downtown Philadelphia with a little planning. I have been working with a Jet Blue agent and found that they are offering special discounted rates right now, especially for those booking as far out as early September. Southwest and Express Jet are also services to check into, but the sooner the better rates you’ll get.

Editor’s Note — oh, do I wish we had these airlines in Minnesota!

If you experience any problems registering for the FGS Conference, the APG Professional Management Conference, meal reservations, or making changes to a registration you have already made, help is available.

Email or call Tina Cavanaugh in the FGS Office. Tina will take care of what you need. The developer is working out some glitches with the new registration program. We thank you for your patience.

Call toll-free: 888-347-1500
Email: office@FGS.org

Visit Moorshead Magazines at Booth 305 to learn more about their project and see the magazines they publish:

Identifying Old Military Uniform photographs
Moorshead Magazines Ltd, publishers of Discovering Family History, Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy and History Magazine, are working on a new Military Uniform Photograph Identification project tentatively set for release in 2009. We are currently calling for photo submissions from our readers, website visitors and anyone else who may have a photo or photos of ancestors in military uniform. The purpose of the project is to provide help in identifying photos of military service people in uniform from the period covering the beginning of the Mexican American War (1846-48) through to the end of World War I (1918-19). If you have a photo of an ancestor from the specified period, and know some basic details of the conflict, regiment, unit, etc. we could use your help. Each submitter whose photo or photos are used in the completed book, will receive a maximum of two copies of the book once it is published.

We will accept only scanned images (minimum 200 dpi up to 300 dpi) in JPEG format via e-mail, or on CD or good quality color photocopies (via regular mail). DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL PHOTOS! For complete information on how to submit a photo visit

http://familychronicle.com/militaryphotos.htm,
http://discoveringfamilyhistory.com/militaryphotos.htm, or
http://internet-genealogy.com/militaryphotos.htm

Edward Zapletal
Publisher
Moorshead Magazines Ltd.

Make your genealogical career soar at the APG Professional Management Conference on September 3rd.

The “Art” of Source Citation: A Hands-On Workshop. The morning session will be a two-hour, hands-on workshop by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG who will guide participants through the basic and not-so-basic principles that underpin the art of source citation. Elizabeth asks that participants bring their copy of Evidence Explained.

In the afternoon, the following sessions will take place:

Branch Out: Expand Your Business Beyond Client Research - Paula Stuart-Warren, CG. Do you need more income or variety in your research business, or need to level out the income gaps between client projects? Do you live in an area where there are not enough client research requests and hope to develop additional income avenues? This session covers a variety of ways for you to make your own change.

What’s in a Name? - Patricia Walls Stamm, CG, CGL. Teacher, instructor, lecturer - these titles are associated with education. But education is more than just a title. Learn how to expand your business repertoire by adding genealogical instruction to your résumé.

Attic Treasures: Clients and Their Collections - Maureen A. Taylor. Learn to use non-traditional sources - manuscripts, pictures and artifacts - to solve genealogical problems. You can prevent another family collection from destruction by helping clients preserve them.

Identify, Adapt and Move Ahead - Beverly Rice, CG. With the small margin between income and expenses a wise business person keeps a close eye on the bottom line. This presentation will focus on the use of the balance sheet as a tool for the projection of income and expense (budgeting), and comparing the anticipated to the actual. The use of computer programs such as QuickBooks® and Excel® as a tool for managing your business decisions will be included.

Marketing and Advertising Strategies for the Professional Genealogist - Kory Meyerink, AG. Without advertising, a terrible thing happens…nothing! To be a professional genealogist, it is necessary to design a market strategy and implement appropriate advertising. Understanding various marketing strategies will make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful professional. The success of fellow genealogists suggests that the supply of genealogists has not exceeded the demand and demonstrates that there is indeed a market out there to tap.

QuickBooks® for Professional Genealogists - Cat Nielsen. This session will present highlights of QuickBooks® that will aid professional genealogists in getting the most from this software program. Topics will include: setting up customers and fees, including discount rates, adapting invoices and statements to existing letterhead, as well as standard and custom business reporting.

This all day event requires payment of an extra fee. Visit the FGS Conference website or the APG Website for details and schedule.

July 1st July 1st July 1st July 1st July 1st

This is a reminder that July 1st is the last day to register (online or postmarked) for the FGS Conference in Philadelphia and save $50.00. Yes, you can also still register after that date.

What can you do with that $50.00?

• Put it toward a luncheon or the Friday night banquet
• Buy books in the Exhibit Hall
• Buy a new pair of comfy shoes for the conference
• Subscribe to a magazine you see at the conference
• Join a society that you learn about at the conference
• Subscribe to the FGS quarterly publication, Forum

Fun Stuff for Genealogists, Inc. was started ten years ago by Bev Petersen, a genealogist, of Mishawaka, Indiana, who started selling charts out of the back of her car and the rest was history. Realizing there were a lot of genealogists out there who needed (and wanted!) her items, she started selling at genealogy seminars and on the internet at her site:

http://www.FunStuffForGenealogists.com.

Today, Bev has hundreds of fun and useful items including T-shirts, embroidered shirts and bags, mugs, bumper stickers, jewelry, pedigree charts, magnifiers, the new “Tag-Alongs” and the famous “Cite Your Sources,” clip-art, maps, scrapbooking items, rubber stamps, counted cross stitch and quilt patterns and books and a lot of smaller novelty items. Bev refers to her booth as the candy at the check out counter!

Visit Bev’s Fun Stuff for Genealogists, Inc. web site to get your list ready for the show or order on her secured web site today!

Bev Petersen
Fun Stuff for Genealogists, Inc.
http://www.FunStuffForGenealogists.com
P. O. Box 1167
Mishawaka, Indiana 46546
574-210-1157
Orders: 877-259-6144

“Go to” resources for 26 western Pennsylvania counties

Our website has burgeoned with information:

• First volume of “A List of Immigrants” (Allegheny Co. naturalizations) WPGS book series will not be reprinted, but will appear on our web
• Five volumes of our Quarterly, every word searchable — 20 issues in all. Table of Contents for 22 volumes.
• How-to articles currently include WPGS Uncatalogued Resources
• Info on how to acquire information on library research at a distance, plus access to unpublished records Allegheny Co.
• ….and much more! Visit often, material is added frequently.

Booth 411 in the Exhibit Hall

WPGS publications cover voter lists, marriages, naturalizations, church records, etc. Our newest publication, the first volume, “Deaths in the Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Districts, 1888-1897″ is now available. If you don’t want to carry the books back with you, pick up a copy of our publications brochure and order from home.

SALE! SALE! SALE!

Volumes 4,5, and 6 of the Naturalization Indexes for Allegheny County are now on sale at greatly reduced rates. These books will not be reprinted. Pick up books at our booth, call 412-687-8811 or go to info@wpgs.org

Are you a librarian, volunteer, research center employee, society member or person who serves genealogists in a research setting? Then join us for the annual Librarians Day sponsored by ProQuest on Wednesday, 3 September 2008, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The presentations will discuss “Serving the 21^st Century Genealogy Researcher: How Times Have Changed Our Service Model.” The presenters and the topic promise to offer how the researcher and the information professional interaction has changed in these fast paced times of the 21^st century. As an added bonus, after the day of presentations, a free tour of the Pennsylvania Historical Society will be an option. (limited seating)

The program will discuss the changes and challenges we as information providers have seen over the years regarding family history research and family history researchers.

Session one:
Curt Witcher, Manager Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana “Past Perfect: The Best of Times for Serving Genealogists.” This talk is about helping the 21^st century genealogy customer with technology and customer service.

Session two:
Panel discussion with representatives from the National Archives and Records Administration – Mid Atlantic Region; the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; and the Free Library of Philadelphia. “Changes and Challenges: How we have Adapted as an Organization to the Shift in Genealogical Research and Researchers.”

Lunch:
Sponsored by Proquest. Aside from a fantastic lunch provided by ProQuest, this is an opportunity to see some of the newest developments in genealogical research by one of the major providers of genealogical and historical research sources. This is also a great opportunity to network with information providers sitting around your lunch table to discuss best practices in serving the 21^st century family history researcher.

The afternoon offers two opportunities.

Tour of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Although seating is limited (a separate tour reservation will open in August for those registered for Librarians Day) a tour of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania will be offered.

A third lecture session will be offered for those that not interested in attending the tour or that don’t get a reserved spot.

“Farmers, Soldiers and Sailors in Government Publications.”
Presented by Connie Reik, Reference Librarian and Government Publications Coordinator, Tisch Library, Tufts University. Often underutilized, government documents can be a boon to your researchers. This session offers a look at some government documents and publications that provide valuable genealogical and historical information in researching and soldiers and sailors throughout history.

Please check off on your FGS printed registration brochure if you plan to attend Librarians Day, this will help us plan for the event. Or register on – line at www.fgsconference.org. Help us by registering soon so we can do space planning, Also, if you register for the full FGS Conference by July 1^st, you save $50.00.

We hope to see you in Philly!!

Sue Kaufman
Kim Harrison
FGS Librarians Day committee

Jim Beidler, the FGS Philadelphia Conference Chair, has announced that the discount registration deadline has been extended to July 1st! Check out the savings at www.FGSConference.org. This is important if you want to save $50.00.

And don’t forget that the ideal way to stay at a conference hotel is to find a roommate to share the hotel cost and share the end of the day excitement as you tell about the terrific lectures and vendor booths you experienced that day. FGS offers a roommate service. Check it out.