It seems to be a big secret. Visiting in the public areas of Library and Archives Canada you would never learn that the institution is hosting an international genealogy conference in less than a month. Genealogy and Local History for All, Services to Multicultural Communities, August 6-7, is one of several pre-conference events linked to the World Library and Information Congress 74th IFLA General Conference and Council in Quebec City.
Aimed at librarians and archivists working with genealogy and local history patrons and collections, it isn't supposed to be exclusive -- I'm told everyone is welcome to register.
The speakers and topics are:
Jeffrey Bockman on Drilling Down for DNA; John de Vries on primary and secondary Dutch records; Bill Forsyth on the Freedman Bank Records; Dave Obee on Eastern Europe; Marie-Louise Perron on cross-cultural backgrounds; Louise St-Denis exploring the relationship between librarians/archivists and professional genealogists; Paul F. Smart on Making the Records of the World More Accessible at FamilySearch; Jerome Teelucksingh on methods of preserving and locating information on West Indians in Canada; Janet Tomkins on challenges in researching Chinese-Canadian ancestry and the Chinese diaspora; Sylvie Tremblay on French-Canadian Genealogy; Susan Tucker (Keynote Speaker) on the boundaries of public and private memories and the roles records and various pieces of family art and artifacts play in society; and Marc Vallières on the scope and strategic approach of a major Québec regional history project.
While it's an innovative program the scope may be too broad for the individual researcher. The two-day regular registration of $175.00, which includes a tour and dinner at the Gatineau Preservation Centre, is also pretty steep for hobbyists. It seems more likely to attract professionals.
I would agree this conference wasn't widely promoted among Canadian genealogy and family history societies. The cost and the distance may be prohibitive for many too. However, I am a genealogical society volunteer from B.C. and I will be at the conference. I hope there will be a least a few from some of other genealogical groups as well.
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