Genealogy Education: Institutes If you have attended more than a few genealogy society meetings, you have undoubtedly heard the terms GRIP, SLIG, Gen-Fed, or IGHR mentioned.   Either you just let the terms float by, or you were reluctant to ask what they meant. These terms describe genealogical institutes.   A genealogy institute is not the same as a genealogy conference. Genealogy institutes offer intensive courses usually lasting four and one half to five days. Conferences offer five to seven hour-long presentations daily for three or four days. The presentations may cover many different genealogy topics. Several week-long “Institutes”   are held each year. Typically, the courses are intended for intermediate to advanced genealogists.    Until 2020, these institutes were in-person events held in a hotel, conference center, or on a college campus.   Some conferences and institutes were canceled this year due to the coronavirus, others converted to ...

By Barbara Mattoon As the busy holiday season winds down, have you begun to think about your genealogy goals for the coming year?  Do they include updating and enhancing your genealogical education and skills?  Just as science, technology, medicine and many other fields are advancing at an accelerating rate, so too is our hobby or avocation – genealogy-- changing all the time.  Planning your genealogy education rather than just taking what comes along for the coming year or two will help you achieve your goals. Your plan will be unique to you, taking into consideration the goals you have set for yourself and the amount of time and resources you have available to commit to continuing education.  Take into consideration what you want to learn and the learning style that is most effective for you.  Do you want to pursue a structured program, or will a “self-designed” program better achieve your goals?  Are you available to travel?  Is cost an is...