Posted by conference on July 24, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Pro/Advanced Stream, Speakers and Program | 
We are thrilled to announce that one of North America’s most highly respected—and honoured—genealogists will deliver the Houston Memorial Lecture at Conference 2010. Thomas W. Jones, a genealogical educator involved in family history research personally and professionally since 1964, will present this marquee lecture to formally open OGS Conference 2010 on the evening of Friday, May 14.
His credentials are legion. Let’s start with his post-nominal letters:
- PhD: OK, that one was easy—Dr. Jones is a retired professor of education at Gallaudet University, the world leader in liberal education and career development for deaf and hard-of-hearing undergraduate students
- CG, CGL: Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer, as credentialed by the Board for Certification of Genealogists
- FASG: Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists (a lifelong honour limited to 50 individuals at any one time)
- FNGS: Fellow of the National Genealogical Society, an honour conferred this past May
- FUGA: Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association
Thomas W. Jones, who will present the Houston Memorial Lecture at the Ontario Genealogical Society Conference 2010 in Toronto
As to his service to the genealogy community, Dr. Jones is:
- editor of the NGS Quarterly (the journal of the National Genealogical Society)
- a former trustee and past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists
- a trustee of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG)
In addition to elected fellowships, Dr. Jones has received the following awards:
- APG’s Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit (2004)
- the National Genealogical Society Award for Excellence for an essay in the NGS Quarterly (1997) explaining how name variations, a common surname, misinformation in a death certificate, census inconsistencies, and an altered record were overcome to connect a Florida family to its Virginia forebears
- the same award (2002)—he is one of only two people to win twice—for an article demonstrating and explaining how to piece together indirect evidence to reconstruct a lineage in eighteenth-century Ireland
Altogether Dr. Jones has contributed fourteen articles to NGSQ, ten of which have dealt with analyzing difficult genealogical problems and developing sound conclusions.
Dr. Jones is on the staff at the Samford Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, where every summer he coordinates the genealogical writing course. He taught the 2009 course on skill building for the professional at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and in 2010 he will coordinate the course on advanced genealogical methods. He has spoken at myriad conferences about genealogical evidence, proof and problem-solving
At Conference 2010, his theme for the Houston Lecture will be “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Genealogists”.
Posted by conference on July 18, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Green Conference, Marketplace, The Making of Conference 2010 |
On July 13, the Conference 2010 organizing committee convened at the Doubletree by Hilton, Toronto Airport. It was a chance for some committee members to tour the facility and clarify what till then they’d only seen on paper. For members who had been involved with the conference Toronto Branch had hosted in 2004 at the Doubletree, it was an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with the venue.
We started our tour in the north-east end of the hotel, near the room where the Ontario Library Association will hold a pre-conference event on Thursday, May 13. Conference registrants arriving by public transit will enter the Doubletree here. We could also see the group of off-site restaurants, like Tim Hortons, Swiss Chalet, and Milestones, right across Dixon Road.
As we strolled south-west through the hotel, we passed the Orchid restaurant where many conference attendees will have breakfast and other casual meals, and the front desk. In the same area, we saw two other restaurants—Alfredo’s (northern Italian and Continental cuisine), Ginko (classical Japanese cuisine)—and Harry’s Bar.
Turning south at the front desk, we passed the west entrance from the parking lot, a small retail area, and the pool and fitness centre, on the way to the Plaza conference centre where OGS Conference 2010 will be held.
The Plaza conference centre is on the second floor. Our registration area will be at the bottom of the stairs (there’s an escalator and an elevator, too.) It was easy for the committee to see how that will channel registrants on the right route.
At the top of the stairs, escalator and elevator, the spacious Plaza foyer will be home to a number of activities (more later) and will serve as a gathering place. The 10,000 square-foot Marketplace and the meeting rooms are all clustered around this foyer. (With the exception of one overflow room which is a short stroll away on the ground floor.)
All these areas have complimentary wi-fi access.
The Plaza rooms were undergoing an upgrading of the ventilation system when we visited, but despite the tarpaulins, it was clear how quick and easy it will be to get from session to session, and to the Marketplace.
We finished the tour with a quick peek at a couple of the well-appointed hotel rooms, noting that all rooms have complimentary wi-fi access.
We were impressed with the facilities, the attention to detail, and the staff at the Doubletree—and confident that it will be a great venue for OGS Conference 2010.
Posted by conference on July 11, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Speakers and Program, Visiting Toronto |
Toronto is home to a wonderful cluster of archives and reference libraries for genealogical research—particularly if you have Ontario roots.
On Thursday, May 13, before Conference 2010 gets rolling, you can join the “Hands-on Research Tour” for a day of research with assistance from Toronto Branch volunteers.
The tour will begin at the Conference 2010 hotel. Participants will travel by chartered bus and public transit (with a volunteer guide) to one of four research facilities. There will be a tour—we’ll keep it brief to allow the maximum time for research. Local experts will be on hand to help you navigate finding aids and records.
At lunch time, participants will have the opportunity to switch to a new research facility.
Choose from the Toronto Reference Library, North York Central Library (and the OGS Library), the City of Toronto Archives, or the new facilities of the Archives of Ontario. For more information about the holdings of these institutions and links to their web sites, see <http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/libraries.html>
Watch for more details about the “Hands-on Research Tour” when registration opens this fall.
Posted by conference on July 6, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Green Conference |
The 2010 organizing committee is considering the environmental impact in every planning decision—from coffee cups to name badges to air travel.
Some decisions are easy, like the reuse of plastic name badge holders. OGS has been doing that for years to save money, and your 2010 badge may have seen five years of service. “Waste not, want not” has become an environmental adage.
But consider the coffee cups. We estimate that, over the three days of the Conference, about 3,500 disposable cups will be replaced with reusable ones. Ice water in pitchers and tumblers will replace the dreaded plastic bottles.
We’ve been saving paper during the planning process by distributing the minutes of our meetings by e-mail. Most committee members have found it unnecessary to print them, and for many meetings the only paper distributed has been a one-page agenda.
Following the 2009 Conference lead, we’ll be distributing most publicity electronically, including the program and registration form. We’ll have printed forms available for those who would prefer them, but we anticipate the quantity of paper to be a fraction of former years.
For the first time at an OGS Conference, a password-protected online syllabus will give registrants access to lecture information ahead of time and the ability to print all or just the pages for the lectures they plan to attend. With up to five lecture choices in each time slot, that could reduce the paper used by close to 75%. (Registrants will have the option to purchase a printed syllabus, if they prefer.)
There are many more decisions to make in the months ahead, and opportunities to have less of an impact—or a positive impact—on our environment. We welcome your suggestions.
