2009 Genealogy Preconference: Behind the Genealogy Reference Desk
Improve service to your inquisitive patrons—or enhance your own search for family history-by attending the 2009 Midwinter Genealogy Institute "Behind the Genealogy Reference Desk". Participants in this one day professional development opportunity will learn from local subject matter experts about Colorado-related resources such as the Colorado Rail Museum and the Colorado State Archives that can assist coast-to-coast family history research efforts. Speakers will also address ways to overcome the research barrier presented by closed-record environments.
Four distinct lectures comprise the institute's agenda. In the morning, Janice Prater, genealogy librarian, past-president of the Colorado Genealogical Society and editor of the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History's quarterly publication, and Charles "Chuck" Albi, director emeritus of the Colorado Rail Museum, Golden (Colo.), will discuss resources related to the history of the country's railroads. Next, Jose Esquibel, expert on colonial New Mexico and author of Royal Road: El Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe, will highlight tools helpful in uncovering family histories rooted in the Hispanic history of the southwestern U.S.
After lunch, Dr. Wendel Cox, western bibliographer, Denver Public Library and author of A World Together, a World Apart: the United States and the Arikaras, 1803-1851 will share resources related to the native people of the West. Finally, Rebecca Lentz, director of the Stephen Hart Library, Colorado Historical Society, and James K. Jeffrey, genealogy specialist at the Denver Public Library and president of the Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies, will present an overview of local genealogy resources.
The institute is open to all librarians, library staff, and the public. It will be held Friday, January 23, 2009, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Denver Public Library, 10 West Fourteenth Avenue Parkway, Denver. Advance registration is $95 for RUSA members, $115 for ALA members, $140 for non-members, and $65 for students and retirees. The program site is fully handicap-accessible. Registration includes lunch and a tour of the Colorado Historical Society Stephen Hart Library and the Colorado State Archives. Details about the tour and additional program information will be available on the RUSA website in early January.
How to Register
Midwinter Meeting attendees interested in registering for the institute can do so through the online registration form. Those who are interested in only attending the institute must register using a printed registration form (PDF format), which can then be submitted via mail or faxed per the instructions on the form. The deadline for advance registration is Dec. 5, 2008. On-site registration will be available at the following rates: $115, RUSA member; $135, ALA member; $160, non-member; $85, students and retirees.
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