Study group possibilities

Note from DearMYRTLE: In response to a request for information about starting a new study group in Utah County, near Brigham Young University, Ol' Myrt replied:

"The ProGen2 Study Group is done entirely online. It is associated with the Transitional Genealogists mailing list at RootsWeb and since we’re already into the 4th month of an 18 month study of Professional Genealogy (edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills) the group is now closed. I am not the administrator of this group, in fact I am just learning about how it is organized. Join the Transitional Genealogists mailing list, or review the archives to learn more about this group. They use Google Groups to communicate effectively.

DearMYRTLE’s Salt Lake Study Group is a grassroots effort, meeting in Sandy (though at my home in January) where each participant comes to the table with paperwork to discuss current research challenges. We sit around a large table, and the first 2 hours of the meeting are spent in the “share”. As each person shares, I provide at least three research suggestions. Most take notes. During the last hour Ol’ Myrt here discusses resources and visits websites – say the FHLCatalog. This requires an internet connection, laptop and computer projector.

The difference here is that I customize my presentation by using examples from the research challenges the group participants have just brought to the table. Although I plan in advance which resources I’ll discuss, the presentation can be modified or even replaced by information to meet the needs of participants brought up during the share. Ol’ Myrt here has such fun doing this on the fly. This group has a blog http://blog.TeachGenealogy.com and I keep in touch with participants by MS Outlook’s group email option because our meetings are held in private homes. If we get bigger, we may need to start a Google Group and find meeting space at a local library.

One important distinction of this study group is that we meet monthly on a weeknight, and follow it up two weeks later with a Friday or Saturday daytime field trip to a regional research facility. So, we actually follow up our theoretical discussions with actual hands-on research. We’ve been meeting since March of last year, and have decided to go the FHL together every other month because of the vast resources available there.

Lately, a new component has emerged in this group. Participants are gaining experience and have begun to point out to each other things like “too much second-hand info” and “look for more reliable resources.” This couldn’t make Ol’ Myrt here happier. Participants are becoming discerning researchers.

Regarding the possibility of your organizing a BYU Area Study Group, may I suggest taking your idea to the Utah APG Chapter Meeting coming up Thursday 8 Jan 2009? There will probably be others who would like to participate. Contact Lisa Arnold. The group meets at 6:16 pm for chats, then the official meeting runs from 6:30-7:30PM. The place is the Ancestry building at 360 W 4800 N in Provo, next to the Riverwoods. Of course, another choice would be to solicit participation at the next Utah Valley PAF Users Group Meeting. I plan to attend the APG meeting, but am not available for the UVPAFUG meeting.

Personally, I am interested in learning more about the unique genealogy record groups at the Harold B. Lee Library. With your interest in BYU perhaps you can assist me in this regard? I am thinking of taking my Salt Lake Study Group there in March 2009, but obviously need to do quite a bit of advance ground work.

Looking forward to getting to know you better. I decided to Google you, and found you are the mother of 8, and still have managed to get your degree in Family History – AND that you teach classes in Family History at BYU. Your blogs are just starting out – and chock full of great info! Way to go, girl. Is it possible that we met last March at the BYU Computerized Family History conference?"