Attending the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy

For the next week, I’ll be participating in the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and researching at the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City, Utah. I think SLIG offers a great environment for developing better research skills and getting to know other genealogists. It’s not easy to leave home at this time of the year, right after the holidays, but I’m already glad I came.

SLIG offers twelve tracks or courses for intermediate and advanced genealogists, presented by top-notch instructors. I had a hard time choosing a course, because they all sound so good. In the end I elected to enroll in Getting Started with Genetic Genealogy. I want to learn how to interpret and use the results from the DNA tests that I’ve asked family members to take, and how to integrate genetic matches with traditional research to find common ancestors.

The course instructors—Debbie Parker Wayne, CeCe Moore, and Blaine Bettinger—are three of the leading experts in the field of genetic genealogy. I’m looking forward to learning from them and my fellow classmates.

In addition to the course I’m taking, I’m loaded with research goals for the FHL, including one particularly vexing problem that I hope to make some progress on. I created a detailed list of films and books to consult, using the strategy I outlined earlier in Tips for Planning Your Visit to the Family History Library. Since I’ll be in class all day, my time in the library will be limited, and I want to make the most of it. Fortunately, I’ll have all day Saturday to spend at the FHL.

Here’s hoping it will be a good week for new discoveries, both in the classroom and the library. 

--Shelley