Call for proposals: OGS conference 2015

The following is posted at the request of the Ontario Genealogical Society.

The Ontario Genealogical Society will host the Society's annual conference on 29-31 May 2015 at Georgian College Campus, Barrie, ON, Canada. The conference theme -- “Tracks through Time” – originates from the 130th Anniversary of the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway across Canada. Many family historians have their roots in the immigrant laborers who built this railway across our vast country. Other ancestors were tempted by the transportation routes and 

migration opportunities allowed by its completion. Still others worked for the railway company itself over the years to follow. As researchers, we track our family history through time in many ways, always attempting to ensure we are tracking the right people from the right line. The variations on “Tracks through Time” are endless. 

The subject of presentations should preferably fall within one of the following categories: 

 

1. Impact of the development of the railway in Canada 

2. Tracking various cultural and ethnic ancestor groups to and within Canada (e.g., Aboriginal, African American, Chinese, Scandinavian, Quaker, Polish, Jewish, etc.) 

3. Tracking ancestors through various record groups (land, company, religious, civil, etc.) 

4. Tracking the right people (sorting out same-name research, One-Name Studies, etc.) 

5. Technological advancements in tracking our ancestors 

Saturday and Sunday presentations will be one hour long, including time for questions. Friday workshop offering a more in-depth exploration should be 2.5 to 3 hours in length, including time for questions. Consideration will also be given to distance presentations – “streamed in” from a presenter’s location and/or “streamed out” to a distance audience. Multiple proposals encouraged.

Each one-page proposal should include: 

• Presentation Title
• Abstract – no more than 200 words
• Presentation Description – one or two sentences for program brochure
• Full Contact Information - name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, and website (if applicable)
• Brief Biography
• Target Audience - beginner, intermediate or advanced level family historians; general or specialist audience. 

If your proposal is accepted, you will be requested to provide a 2- to 4-page summary of your lecture or workshop for our Conference Syllabus. This may include a brief overview, references and web addresses mentioned, sample screen shots, etc. It will be submitted electronically no later than 1 March 2015 as a word processing file or in rich text for ease of formatting our Program Syllabus. Speakers should also bear in mind that PowerPoint presentations must be clearly readable from a minimum distance of 20 metres/65 feet and should employ fonts no smaller than 32 points. 

Please include your approximate travel costs, economy class, to Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Remuneration will normally include reimbursement of transportation expenses, free conference registration, free accommodation, meals on the day(s) of your talk(s), free social activities, plus honorarium. Workshop fees may be negotiated. 

Contact: program.conference@ogs.on.ca 

Deadline: 12 September 2014 

Comment: I hope the organizers will encourage proposals from experienced speakers who have never, or not recently spoken at an OGS annual conference.