Posted by William Nunnelley on 2014-06-06

Samford University's nationally known Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) will draw 215 genealogy students from 34 states and the District of Columbia to campus the week of June 8-13.  Classes in the annual workshop that began in the 1960s have been filled since shortly after registration opened last January.

Cosponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists in Washington, D.C., the institute provides a week of intensive study led by prominent genealogy educators. Nine academically-oriented courses focus on the discovery and critical evaluation of information, and the use of a variety of genealogical sources and methodologies. Courses vary in content from year to year, although some topics are offered every year.

"The courses have earned a strong national following among serious genealogy students," said Lori Northrup, associate librarian of Samford's University Library and director of the IGHR. "They know they must register in a hurry to get the class they want."

This year's course offerings include Techniques and Technology, Intermediate Genealogy and Historical Studies, Writing and Publishing for Genealogists, Military Records I, Irish Genealogical Research, Researching African American Genealogy: 20th Century Research, The Trans-Mississippi South, Advanced Library Research: Law Libraries and Government Documents and Virginia: Her Records and Laws.

The 38-member faculty includes such nationally prominent instructors as Thomas Jones, trustee and past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists; Christine Rose, author of seven books on genealogy including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy, published by Simon & Schuster; Pamela Boyer Sayre, coauthor of two books on genealogy and past editor of the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly; Frazine Taylor, former head of reference for the Alabama Department of Archives and History who has coordinated the IGHR African American Course since 2004; Victor Dunn, governor of the Virginia Genealogical Society and expert on Virginia and West Virginia families and records, and others.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.