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Archiver > APG > 2007-12 > 1197046260


From:
Subject: Re: [APG] E: Ethical Membership
Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:51:00 +0000


In Elizabeth's course at IGHR a couple of years ago one of the first things she asked us was how many of us were professional genealogists. A handful of people who are certified, lecturers, etc. raised their hands. Elizabeth told us we were all professional genealogists--or we wouldn't be in the class. (I'm sure Elizabeth said this more eloquently.) I am 64 and a full-time paralegal. I work on genealogy in every spare moment I can carve out. I spend every weekend I can at the archives or the history center. I completed the NGS American Genealogy Course, and several of the on-line courses. I attend IGHR every year. I subscribe to, and during my lunch periods read and learn from, TAG, NGS Quarterly, OnBoard, and numerous state and local genealogy association publications. I own and study--and use--EE, as well as Elizabeth's previous publications. I spend my other week of vacation doing on-site research in North Carolina. I subscribe to this list to learn better methods, cita!
tion, h
ints, and tips, and to bask in the experience and intelligence and expertise of the "professionals." Ethically, I felt that if I took advantage of the list, I should join APG. If the membership of APG is changed to include only those who earn their livings as genealogists, are certified, or some other qualifications that exclude those like me, please keep this list open to us.

Janet Tanksley


-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Craig Scott" <>
>
> Did you have to pick on publishers?
>
> Because I am a genealogist, I became a publisher.
>
> Not the other way around. I was taking people's money and wandering around
> genealogical conferences, lecturing at them, and being a general pain long
> before the first book.
>
> I also became an educator, a lecturer, an author, a consultant and a lot of
> other things, but if you ask me what I do, I say "I am a genealogist."
>
> Meanwhile I have this Starlight Shopping sale going on and after I get
> through today I will respond more fully to the concept that if we change our
> name all of our problems will go away.
>
> C.
>
> Craig R. Scott, CG
> President and CEO
> Heritage Books, Inc.
> 65 East Main Street
> Westminster, MD 21157
> 800 876-6103
>
>
> 2758 books in print and growing. Visit www.HeritageBooks.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [mailto:] On Behalf
> Of Jeanette Daniels
> Sent: Friday, December 07, 2007 12:02 AM
> To: Thomas Jones;
> Subject: Re: [APG] Ethical Membership
>
> Tom:
>
> Thank you for your evaluation of the September President's column in the
> APGQ. I agree with what you have written. Instead of having this
> organization be called the Association of Professional Genealogists since so
> many are not tracing ancestry but are in related fields such as publishing
> genealogical or historical books, etc (the umbrella concept), that the name
> that would be better to represent the group is the Association of
> Genealogical Professionals. I didn't make this name up. Last Saturday, Jim
> Petty told my husband this would be a better name for the group since so
> many do not make their living by tracing ancestry for clients.
>
> Jeanette
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Thomas Jones <>
> Cc:
> Sent: Thursday, December 6, 2007 3:51:43 PM
> Subject: Re: [APG] Ethical Membership
>
> I'm the outspoken member in Richmond Diane mentioned. Her view of the
> president's column in the September /APGQ /differs somewhat from mine. I
> don't want to be personal or confrontational, but I believe that
> present-day and future professional genealogists should discuss issues
> the column raises. Because /APGQ/'s readership includes the general
> public, this seems to be an appropriate place.
>
> The column uses a golf analogy to explain why APG, like the PGA, must
> have /professional /in its name. Despite my remarks in Richmond, this
> makes good sense, . The next section, however, confuses me on that
> point, because it argues that genealogists can meet professional
> criteria without taking money for their services, opposite of the
> situation with golf. The column draws on law-enforcement to explain why
> APG need not require members to demonstrate professional qualifications.
> That analogy confuses me further, because it describes the role of
> law-enforcement regarding the general public, not within its profession.
> If the parallel demonstrates the intended point about professional
> monitoring, anyone would be free to practice professional
> law-enforcement as long as no one filed a complaint. I'm not a member of
> that profession, but I don't believe it works that way. Rather than
> convincing or enlightening me, the column left me puzzled.
>
> The column did show me that reputable genealogists do not share an
> understanding of what /professional/ means. I don't have the answers
> either, but my hope is that discussion here and in the members' forum,
> /APGQ/, board and committee meetings, and elsewhere will clarify this
> concept and help APG fulfill its potential. In fact, I have every reason
> to believe this already is happening.
>
> Parenthetically, I also have to say, while recognizing parallels between
> APG and the PGA, the large image of a golf green under the title "To Be
> a Professional Genealogist: What Does it Mean?" jarred me. I hope
> magazine browsers don't get the sense that professional genealogy is a
> leisure activity of retirees or it gives us lots of time for golf.
> That's not my view of what it means to be a professional genealogist,
> but it was my first reaction to the page. In any case, I'm certain the
> unfortunate implication was accidental.
>
> ----- Tom
>
> Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CG, FASG
> Member, National Capitol Area Chapter
>
> CG, Certified Genealogist, CGL, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are
> service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under
> license by certificants after periodic evaluation. The board name is
> registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
>
>
> Diane Gravel, CG wrote:
> > I also fully agree with Elizabeth's response to Elissa's question, and
> > certainly hope that the situation was purely hypothetical. Of equal
> concern
> > is the other "hypothetical" mentioned in Melinde's email regarding a
> > national speaker being pulled out of a banquet, after publicity and
> > publication of the syllabus, because the speaker's comments were
> > "unapproved" by the APG EC. The underlying problem is the same in both
> > circumstances.
> >
> > Obviously, some rather dramatic events have occurred to trigger this
> > discussion. Reading between the lines here, I suspect that these
> > "hypotheticals" are related to APG's future direction and those issues
> > identified in the president's article in the September issue of the APGQ.
> In
> > that article, Sharon Moody presented the case well, and I found myself
> > agreeing with many points raised by her with respect to our
> professionalism
> > and the criteria for membership in APG. However, I also attended the
> > Roundtable at NGS in Richmond where a well-respected member shared a very
> > strong opposing view. Unfortunately, the Roundtable audience consisted of
> > about 60-70 people, whereas the president's article in APGQ addressed the
> > full membership.
> >
> > I felt then, as I feel now, that the full membership needs to hear both
> > sides of this discussion. These issues will define us as an organization
> for
> > many years to come. If the APG EC has indeed made decisions, including
> > inappropriate editorial control, intended to suppress an opposing
> viewpoint,
> > it is unfortunate and needs to be addressed *now*.
> >
> > Diane Gravel
> > Thornton, NH
>
>
>
>
>
> .
>
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