Make 2010 Your Best Year Ever

by Julie Hill

Posted on January 8, 2010

Scads of bloggers have made genealogy resolutions for 2010. These are great posts to read because they set goals we can all take to heart like making better source citations, planning a long-overdue genealogy trip, or finally organizing that shoe box of old pictures in the closet. However, instead of discussing resolutions in this post we've asked the Archives.com expert authors to weigh in on tips, tricks, and must-attend events for 2010.

Below are their thoughts. Listed are some of the best websites to discover (if you haven't already!), local, regional, and national events and exhibits to attend (January - July 2010), and more. Hopefully some of these ideas will help you to make 2010 your best year for genealogy research ever! If you'd like to see another, comprehensive list of this year's genealogy events click here.

If you have your own ideas to contribute please write a comment below!

January

Attend The Salt Lake Institute Of Genealogy - If your New Year's resolutions include traveling to the Salt Lake City to research in the extensive family-history resources and to increase your research skills, you should attend the 2010 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG).  It will be held 11-15 January 2010 at the downtown Radisson Hotel.  - Jeanne Larzalere Bloom

February

Dive Into African American History - February is the dedicated month for African American History, what better time to celebrate the month of February by learning how to research your family history. Contact your local libraries, museums and even the National Archives Research Administration for any classes that are available for the month of February on African American History. You will develop a sense of pride when you can place your family among some of the greatest in American history. - Char McCargo Bah



April

Be Part Of Census History - Whether you've spent a few hours or a lifetime pouring over old census records, you know how important they are to genealogists and family historians. Now is your chance to leave behind some important information for future researchers. April 1, 2010 is census day in the United States. Be sure to fill out and return your form, so you can be counted and recorded for posterity. - Laura H. Congleton

Participate In The NGS Family History Conference - The 2010 NGS Family History Conference will be held 28 April - 1 May 2010 at the Salt Palace Convention Center. In 2010 "nothing could be finer than to be in" Salt Lake City during an institute or national conference. - Jeanne Larzalere Bloom

May / June

Give Back To Your Family - The greatest gift you can give someone is their family history. Why not make Mother's Day (May 9, 2010) and Father's Day (June 21, 2010) that special day that you will present to your family their history. Start by contacting your local libraries, historical societies, genealogical societies and genealogical web sites to find out how you can get started in researching your ancestors. Start now! - Char McCargo Bah

July

Attend The International Conference On Jewish Genealogy - The world's largest Jewish genealogy conference will be held in Los Angeles this year. The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Society's 30th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is scheduled for July 10-16, 2010. It will take place at the brand new JW Marriott Hotel, part of the new L.A. LIVE entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles, located adjacent to the Staples Center, the Nokia Theater, and the Grammy Museum. More than 130 speakers will present more than 250 programs. Because of the location, The conference will include a focus on the entertainment community, with a Jewish genealogy film festival and new programs on Yiddish theater, klezmer music, vaudeville, and Hollywood. For more information, click here. - Martin Fischer

The below tips aren't month or year specific--so plan to fit these in as you have time. Check out a new website on a rainy Sunday afternoon or plan a trip for a slow month later this year.

Visit The Library Of Congress - Though many visit the National Archives in Washington DC to do research, this is the year to also visit the Library of Congress (LOC) when in DC. Did you know that there are whole reading rooms devoted to Copyright Records, Motion Pictures and Television, Geography and Maps, and so much more? The library consists of three buildings which all contain various reading rooms. And, it's also an architectural delight with tours of the Jefferson building given daily. Click here for everything you need to know about visiting from hours and location to a detailed calendar of upcoming events. If you can't make it to DC, do check out the LOC schedule of traveling exhibits. - Diane L. Richard

Marjory Allen Perez seconds this idea. She notes: on the Library of Congress website, not only are there over 60,000 digitized books dealing mostly with Western settlement of the United States but also incredible maps, photographs, and the list goes on! Spend an hour exploring the site and you will see just how valuable the material is to family research. - Marjory Allen Perez

Discover The Early California Population Project - This the best thing since sliced bread for anyone doing research in early California, particularly for Native Americans! They have translated birth, death, and marriage information from often difficult-to-read California Mission records and put it all into a handy database. So dust off your search skills and dig in! Click here to go to their website. - Linda Lorda

Go To Your State, Region, Or County Genealogy Society Conference - For example, the North Carolina Genealogical Society typically holds workshops in the spring and fall, at changing venues, and also a 1-day speakers forum in Raleigh. If you are able to travel further, check out this blog for some of the larger conferences being held in 2010. - Diane L. Richard

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