Monthly Archives: January 2017

Conference

AG® Researchers needed for Coach’s Corner at RootsTech 2017

Leave a comment

coach2

This year a new initiative is being tested at RootsTech that will provide conference registrants the opportunity to sit down with a genealogical expert or ‘coach’ who will provide them with professional advice on any research problems they wish to have examined. Each session will be twenty minutes in length with the coach committing to at least three consecutive session during one hour (or more) during the conference. Coach and registrant will sit at a table in the Coach’s Corner which will be open and available for three days (Thursday-Saturday) of RootsTech 2017. Organizers will post an online registration opportunity allocating times when geographical expertise (ie. United States, Italy, France, etc.) and coaches will be available.

Please note that coaches are NOT expected to conduct research for the registrants, but only to review the problems presented and to advise on further research avenues and resources.

Coaches will be allowed to promote their professional services, whether individual or corporate, but we must be sensitive to the appearance of the ‘hard sell’ during the conference. RootsTech organizers are appreciative of the free service rendered by coaches, but this opportunity is not designed to acquire clients. A sign can be posted at the table and business cards can certainly be distributed.

Coaches will be supplied with snacks and water during their time assisting registrants. A name tag with area of expertise will also be provided. A timer on the table will ensure that each session begins and ends on time. Computer stations and Internet connections will be provided at each station.

Once registered as a coach, please make every effort to fulfill your time slot as it will be very difficult to find a replacement at the last minute. Our registrants will sign up beforehand and will arrive with the expectation of having someone there to help them with their research questions.

If you have any questions, please contact Stephen Young at:  801-240-5593  youngsc@familysearch.org

ICAPGen

2016 Election Results Announced

Leave a comment

board-of-commissioners-1
The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGenSM) has announced the results of elections held in December of 2016.  Congratulations to these three individuals, who will serve as Commissioners for three-year terms:

  • Suzanne Adams, AG®
  • Fritz Juengling, AG
  • Dayna Jacobs, AG

We would also like to thank Danielle Batson, AG, who is finishing up her term as President of the Commission, for her tremendous contributions to ICAPGen and her leadership these past two years.  We welcome Russell S. Lynch, AG, as our new president, and look forward to working with him in that role.

What do you know about the ICAPGen Board of Commissioners and their roles in this credentialing organization? We thought it might be helpful to explain a bit about the make-up of the Commission and what they do, according to the ICAPGen bylaws.

The ICAPGen Board of Commissioners consists of twelve Accredited Genealogist® researchers. Six are elected at-large Commissioners serving three-year terms. They can then serve without reelection for an additional term of three years. Five are appointed Commissioners serving one year terms, which may be extended, who have specific qualifications that include the following:

  1. Testing specialist
  2. Faculty member of an educational institution which provides secondary instruction with emphasis in genealogy and family history
  3. Professional employee or officer of a major archive or library serving the genealogical community
  4. Someone whose specific qualifications meet the special needs of the Commission

Elections take place in years when a vacancy arises, so do not necessarily occur every year.

Some of the offices or roles the Commissioners fill are the President of the Commission, Vice-President Elect, Vice-President, executive secretary, and treasurer.  Commissioners also lead and serve on committees that manage testing, finances, public relations, conferences, and study groups, as well as other ad hoc committees as needs arise.

Currently, the Commission meets every other month in Salt Lake City, Utah, with some of the non-local members joining via WebEx.  What do we do? According to the ICAPGen bylaws:

“The principle purpose of the Commission is to create, maintain, and administer the accreditation examinations used for awarding candidates the title of Accredited Genealogist® researcher. To that end, the Commission establishes related examination procedures and protocols. It must approve new or rewritten examinations, and it determines the qualifications and appointment of each examination development team and exam proctors.”

So, naturally, most of what the Commission does revolves around the application and testing process. It is a challenge to develop exams for, and administer, a testing program that covers forty regions of the world —it requires a lot of work!  In support of our mission to promote excellece in genealogy we also co-sponsor a genealogy conference, have published a book, maintain a website and blog with educational resources, and facilitate study groups.

In future posts we plan to introduce you to the Commissioners and some of what they do for ICAPGen. We hope this glimpse behind the scenes of ICAPGen has helped you understand a bit more about the organization.