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From:
Subject: Re: [APG] Genealogical Education
Date: Sat, 09 May 2009 12:56:06 -0500
References: <4A05B87F.3050407@worldnet.att.net>
In-Reply-To: <29722475.152041241890121195.JavaMail.root@mbs7.homesteadmail.com>


Dee wrote:

> Someone correct me if I misremember - but aren't there several hundred on the Transitional
> Genealogist Forum list? I make no claim to have "met" anywhere near all of them, but have
> interacted with perhaps 50+, and read their posts. I have not seen/heard a single one express that
> they joined APG or TGF to become better avocational genealogists. Yes, my interaction has been with
> a limited number, but those folks are quite clear that they are coming into this looking for
> professional career education, training, and opportunities. Yes, they are seeking academic and
> theoretical education, but with the objective of at least part-time employment in the field. That a
> couple hundred folks in just this one group *now* are seeking paying careers in this field is
> somewhat amazing. That a couple hundred folks are creating their own Forum and their own study
> groups in order to advance their career opportunities should be a wake up call.

Harold adds:

One thing we "transitionals" have been blessed with is two or three people who
are darn good organizers. Another is, for the ProGen study groups, a few CGs
have been willing to hang online with us and make sure that we do more than
just pool our ignorance on the topic at hand.

The first and somewhat less structured "transitional" study groups discuss a
selected article, usually but not always from NGSQ, after having read it three
or four times (Litchman method, we hope). These groups of 5-8 people meet
online once a month, on our own (except when one of my group's enterprising
members corralled an author!) -- trying to figure out the reasoning and the
sourcing and the research process in these articles.

I can't speak for the whole group -- nobody can, really -- but I think we would
more than welcome experienced folks who hear the "wake up call" and who can
manage to spend 60-90 minutes a month in such a discussion. (I don't mean to
imply that this is a small commitment; given everyone's schedule, it's not.)




Harold Henderson
Research and Writing from Northwest Indiana

home office 219/324-2620
http://midwesternmicrohistory.blogspot.com

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