Posted by conference on January 28, 2010 under Blog: New Postings, Registration Updates | 
The organizing committee for OGS Conference 2010 is very pleased to see that early registrations have been coming in from far and wide. We already have intrepid family historians travelling from four states: Wisconsin, New York, Michigan, and Colorado; three provinces: BC, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, and, remarkably, Scotland and Italy. And of course, from many parts of Ontario.
All of these folks have registered online (or printed a pdf from the website), but the paper brochure will arrive very soon in the hands of some 4,000 members of the Ontario Genealogical Society.
But you, a reader of the Conference 2010 blog, have the inside track.
If you haven’t already registered, quick, go to the program pages! You’ll find more details then ever before about lectures, tours, and our special Dutch and Italian streams. Check out the brand new “Lecture Streams at a Glance” page with printable schedules for each day.
Once you’ve made your choices, click on “How do I register?” and select the registration package that suits you best. Then let the secure online registration form guide you through the process.
Take the opportunity to jump in ahead of the pack. Register today.
Posted by conference on January 20, 2010 under Blog: New Postings, Pre-Conference Events, Speakers and Program |
Patricia M. Van Skaik, keynote speaker at the OLA Pre-Conference
You don’t have to be a librarian to sign up for the
“Libraries and Genealogy” workshop offered by the Ontario Library Association as a pre-conference event on Thursday, May 13.
While the program has been designed with a view to providers of family history services, it should also appeal to those who want to get the most out of their local collections, such as those who sit on library advisory boards across the province… or even just everyday researchers.
Here’s your opportunity to discover:
- how contemporary technology can reveal unseen detail in historic photo collections
- how the Family History Library (in Salt Lake City) can be used by Ontarians, and how its catalogue can be used to find resources in Ontario libraries
- how you can perform basic and advanced searches on ARCHEION, Ontario’s Archival Information Network, a public gateway to collections across the province
- why RAD (Rules for Archival Description) will become increasingly important for genealogists
- how you can use OurOntario.ca, an innovative and unique discovery portal, to search thousands of digital resources available from a range of diverse cultural organizations
- what’s included in Ancestry Library Edition, which is freely available for your use at many libraries across the province
- how to use “tricks of the trade” when searching cataloging systems that do not organize information the same way that genealogists conduct research
The first and last of the above must-see insights come from Patricia Van Skaik, MA, MLS, the Manager of the Genealogy and Local History Collection, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Patricia was educated at the University of Kentucky and the University of Cincinnati and serves on the Board of the other OGS, the Ohio Genealogical Society. She is also the Director of Librarianship Studies for the National Institute for Genealogical Studies.
For full details of program and other speakers at this wonderful accompaniment to Conference 2010, just click here.
Posted by conference on January 9, 2010 under Blog: New Postings, Delights Stream, Essentials Stream, Speakers and Program |
Speaker Alison Hare
If one of Alison Hare’s ancestors had been named John, Canada might never have gained one of its most accomplished genealogists. As it happens, Busteed Green’s bizarre first name, observed on a grave marker in the early 1980s, intrigued the young Ottawa-based reporter. Soon she was engrossed in genealogy, with Busteed proving a elusive target (although she did eventually track him down). When Alison’s son reached school age in the mid 1990s, she decided to focus on genealogy. By 1999, she had received her CG designation from the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG). And as we approach Conference 2010, where she will give two lectures, Alison now has 29 years of genealogical experience as a researcher, lecturer and editor.
Along the way, she leaves a trail of accomplishment: three-time recognition for the quality of her lectures presented to the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa; induction into that society’s Hall of Fame; genealogist-in-residence at the Ottawa Public Library in 1999; a trustee of BCG; and an active member of the Ontario Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
As a former journalist, Alison applies great care to her genealogical writing and editing. Her article “Searching for Greens at the Time of Peter Robinson” was published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly in March 2007. The Ottawa Branch News, newsletter of OGS’s Ottawa Branch, won numerous Marion Keffer awards under her editorship between 1997 and 2002.
At Conference 2010 Alison will speak on citations for Canadians on Saturday and then on Sunday will present her fascinating case study of the victims of the 1854 London cholera outbreak (one of whom was her ancestor).
Posted by conference on January 3, 2010 under Blog: New Postings, Registration Updates |
Conference organizers have negotiated an excellent rate at the Doubletree by Hilton–Toronto Airport. In fact, the early-bird rates match the OGS Seminar 2004 rate at the same hotel! So if you need accommodation, act before January 8 to lock in the rate for your room—even if you haven’t yet registered for Conference. After all, if your plans change, you can adjust your reservation (or even cancel) without penalty on 24 hours notice.
For more about accommodation at Conference, including rates, special-needs rooms, roommate matching and so on, please visit the “Accommodation” page of the Conference website.
Back in the summer, Conference volunteers toured the Doubletree, including not only the public spaces where our events will be held, but also typical guest rooms. We were suitably impressed with our tour.
Conference registrants arriving by public transit will enter the Doubletree at the north end of the hotel, near the front desk. Visible across Dixon Road are off-site eateries, like Tim Hortons, Swiss Chalet and Milestones. In the hotel, you will find several restaurants and bars: the Orchid Café, where many conference attendees will have breakfast and other casual meals, Alfredo’s (northern Italian and Continental), Ginko (classical Japanese), Grand Chinese Cuisine (dim sum and elegant traditional dishes) and Harry’s Bar. For more information, see the “Meals” page.
Also on the main floor are the west entrance from the parking lot, a small retail area, and the pool and fitness centre. (See floor plan, below.)
The Plaza conference centre, where OGS Conference 2010 will be held, is on the second floor. Our registration area will be at the bottom of the stairs, but there’s an escalator and an elevator, too. Getting lost will be a virtual impossibility and everything is extremely compact. At the top of the stairs, escalator and elevator, the spacious Plaza foyer will be home to a number of activities and will serve as a gathering place. The 10,000 square-foot Marketplace and almost all meeting rooms are all clustered around this foyer.
And to top it all off, all sectors of the hotel, both public spaces and guest 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.
Fully wheelchair accessible, the Doubletree by Hilton–Toronto Airport, is located near Toronto Pearson International Airport, close to highways 401 and 427, and convenient to GO Transit and TTC (Toronto Transit Commission). For more information about the location and directions, please visit the “Location” page.
A SPECIAL NOTE:
If you have tried to reach us this weekend at conference2010@ogs.on.ca, your message may have been returned. We expect the problem to be resolved on Monday, January 4. If you want to reach us before then, please use info@torontofamilyhistory.org. We apologize for any inconvenience.
