Exhibitor Spotlight: Family Tree Magazine, Booth 432

We at Family Tree Magazine are super-excited our Cincinnati hometown will be the center of so much family history enthusiasm at the National Genealogical Society 2012 Conference. Here are 10 reasons to visit us in exhibit hall booth 432:

1. Ask what goetta is (hint: you might find it on a menu).

2. Pick up a free copy of the May/June 2012 Family Tree Magazine featuring our Cincinnati research guide plus articles on Irish genealogy, tracing Catholic ancestors, verifying and using information from online trees, and more.

3. Ask about local resources we’ve used to research our own Cincinnati ancestors.

4. Meet author of My Life & Times: A Guided Journal for Collecting Your Stories, Sunny Jane Morton, Friday, May 11, 2 to 3 p.m.

5. Browse our newest family history books including The Genealogist's Census Pocket Reference, Discover Your Family History Online, From the Family Kitchen, and Family History Detective.

6. Pick up favorites such as our Organize Your Genealogy Life! CD, Family Tree Magazine 2011 Annual CD, My Family History Research Planner, and more.

7. See what we have for helping you trace German ancestors (Germans were about 60 percent of Cincinnati's population by 1900) and African-American ancestors (Cincinnati was a Great Migration destination in the 1900s).

8. Drop your name in our fabulous door prize drawing.

9. Take advantage of show specials for Family Tree Magazine subscriptions and renewals.

10. Ask for directions to our excellent Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County or the nearest Skyline Chili.

Exhibitor Spotlight: Family Tree Magazine, Booth 432

25 Days to Go - Have You Registered for the Conference Yet?

The deadline for the early-bird price and ordering a print syllabus is March 20. After that date the NGS member cost will increase from $175 to $210 for all four days, the non-NGS member cost will increase from $210 to $245, and only the flash drive syllabus will be available. Reservations for meals must be made by April 24.

If you’re not a member, consider paying $60 to join NGS, save $35 on the registration cost, and receive all the benefits of NGS membership including the renowned NGS Quarterly and the informative NGS Magazine.

Click here to see all the details about registration, and register soon so you don't miss the deadline for savings. Once you receive your confirmation email, use the space planning link provided to access the session selections. This is just for space planning and you can change your mind if you like.

To add luncheons, dinners, or workshops to your existing registration, log on to the NGS website, click on My Account, and then My Events. You can print a copy of your agenda and add the events to your calendar. If you are asked to select a registration type, choose Meals Only.

25 Days to Go - Have You Registered for the Conference Yet?

Update on Conference Hotels

All conference hotels are full. Rooms will only be available if someone cancels their reservation.

We have assembled a list of hotels that are close to downtown and may have rooms available. Covington, Kentucky is just across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati. The SouthBank Shuttle goes past these hotels or the pickup is close. The shuttle goes to Cincinnati for $1 each way. It will drop off at Saks Fifth Avenue and then it is a one block walk to the Duke Energy Convention Center.

Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter
10 West RiverCenter Boulevard
Covington, KY 41011
859-261-2900
1-800-266-6605

Courtyard by Marriott Covington
500 West Third Street
Covington, KY 41011
859-491-4000

Embassy Suites Cincinnati - River Center
10 East RiverCenter Blvd
Covington, KY 41011
859-261-8400

Extended StayAmerica Cincinnati-Covington
650 West Third Street
Covington, KY 41011
859-581-3000

Hampton Inn Cincinnati Riverfront
200 Crescent Avenue
Covington, KY 41011
859-581-7800

Holiday Inn Riverfront
600 West Third Street
Covington, KY 41011
859-291-4300
888-400-9714

Radisson Cincinnati Riverfront Hotel
668 West Fifth Street
Covington, KY 41011
859-491-1200
888-201-1718

Update on Conference Hotels

NGS Social Media Policy

The National Genealogical Society has announced its new Social Media Policy. This policy begins immediately and will be in effect for the NGS 2012 Family History Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, 9–12 May 2012.

Except by specific prior written permission, NGS does not permit the recording of presentations at the NGS Family History Conference under any circumstances or in any form or media, including but not limited to audio recordings, still photography, video recordings, or literal transcripts. (JAMB, Inc. contracts with NGS to audio record the lectures of speakers who provide their written consent to be recorded. CDs may be purchased at the conference or ordered after the conference for $12 per CD.)

NGS permits and encourages the use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and blogging at the conference as a way to summarize, highlight, excerpt, review, critique, and/or promote the presented materials, syllabus materials, or the conference in general, provided that
1. the material is not shared in full, and
2. the author or speaker is referenced and cited appropriately in each case.
Please keep in mind that our presenters have invested many hours in the development of this material and copyright laws apply.

Out of respect for the other participants, we ask that noise-making electronic devices be silenced, though they need not be turned off, so that they may be used to follow along in the syllabus, tweet, or take notes in accordance with the above stated social media policy.

We encourage participants in the conference to:
• Follow us on Twitter (@ngsgenealogy).
• Friend us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ngsgenealogy).
• Subscribe to the NGS conference blog at http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org.
• Send us a tweet @ngsgenealogy for general information or use the hashtag #ngs2012 for Annual Conference-related tweets.
• Blog, post, and tweet about what you are hearing and seeing at the conference (highlighting or commenting on, but not sharing in detail, any of the material presented).
• Suggest sessions to attend and luncheons to enjoy; chat about products and services in the Exhibit Hall.
• Feel free to take and share photographs at any time in the Exhibit Hall.
• Request the permission of speakers if you would like to take their photograph directly before or after a session. (Unless you are an official NGS photographer, please obtain the permission of the speaker before taking pictures, and please take photographs only before a session starts, or after it concludes.)
• Provide feedback to NGS staff and the Program Committee. (For example, you could discuss topics of interest and/or speakers for next year's conference, make suggestions for sessions, or comment on the conference format.)
• Keep criticism constructive.

We request that participants in the conference refrain from:
• Using audio and/or video recording devices. These are strictly prohibited in sessions and in the Exhibit Hall, except in the interview area or by prior written agreement.
• Using photographic devices during sessions.
• Using photographic devices in the session rooms without permission of the speaker.
• Capturing, transmitting, or redistributing syllabus materials or the bulk of the material presented in a session. Doing so infringes on the intellectual property rights of the speakers.
• Engaging in rudeness or personal attacks.

NGS Social Media Policy

NGS 2012 Conference Topic of BlogTalkRadio Show

Julie Miller, CG, Vice President of the National Genealogical Society and 2012 Family History Conference Chair, joins genealogist Jane E. Wilcox, host of "The Forget-Me-Not Hour: Your Ancestors Want Their Stories to Be Told" radio show, on www.BlogTalkRadio.com/JaneEWilcox at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time on 15 February 2012.

Julie will talk about the benefits of being a member of NGS and about the upcoming NGS 2012 Family History Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio on 9–12 May. Find out who will be speaking at the conference and why it's an event not to be missed! Listen live by calling 818-691-7404 or on BlogTalkRadio. Can't listen live? Catch the recorded show on-demand at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/JaneEWilcox. Here also is a link to the show.

NGS 2012 Conference Topic of BlogTalkRadio Show

Research Opportunities Near the NGS 2012 Family History Conference: Part 4, Indiana

Four major Indiana historical societies and libraries are located within three and a half hours from the conference site in Cincinnati:

109 miles: Indiana State Archives, 6440 East 30th Street, Indianapolis. Permanent repository for important records of state government, with approximately 25,000 cubic feet of records dating from the territorial period to the present: records of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; military records; records of the General Land Office for Indiana; over 100,000 aerial photographs; and substantial collections from more than 400 state agencies and 92 counties. Hours: 9-4 M-F.

112 miles: Indiana Historical Society’s William Henry Smith Memorial Library at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana’s premier collection of archival material relating to Indiana and the Old Northwest. More than 1.7 million images as well as thousands of maps, oral accounts, Civil War diaries and correspondence, club and organizational records, and personal papers are among the many treasures that may help illuminate the past for genealogical researchers. Hours: Tu – Sa 10-5.

113 miles: Indiana State Library, 315 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis. The Genealogy Collection has developed over time to become one of the largest collections of family history information in the Midwest, with a focus on Indiana and bordering states as well as eastern and southern states. Extensive collection of Indiana courthouse records, newspapers, county histories, and manuscripts, with many databases on its award-winning website. Hours: 8-4:30 M-W, F, 8-7 Th, 8-4 Sa.

152 miles: Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne. Home to the nation’s largest public genealogy collection, housed in a brand-new, $65 million facility with over 370,000 printed volumes, 590,000 microforms, military records that go back to the 1700s, city directories, census records, passenger lists, family histories, U.S. local records and special collections, periodicals, ethnic and foreign resources, and much more. 9-9 M-Th, 9-6 F-S, 12-5 Su.

If you would like to contribute information about libraries and archives within a fairly short drive from Cincinnati, please send it to conferenceblog@ngsgenealogy.org.

Research Opportunities Near the NGS 2012 Family History Conference: Part 4, Indiana

Pre-Conference Events on Tuesday, 8 May

Stretch the NGS 2012 Family Conference in Cincinnati to a fifth day by participating in these pre-conference events.

Librarians’ Day
Librarians who work with family history patrons are encouraged to attend this outstanding program from 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ProQuest, the sponsor, will provide lunch for registered attendees. Sessions include Dr. Paul Tenkotte and Dr. Brian Hackett, "Solving History's Mysteries: The Intersection of Genealogy and Local History;" Louise T. Jones, MIS, "Kentucky Historical Society Collections Strategies;" Curt B. Witcher, "The Best of Times–For Genealogists and Their Librarians;" James Mainger, MSLS, "Thousands of Stories Behind the App: Bringing Digitized Images Together through Cincinnati’s 1848 Panorama;" Tour of Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County's nationally ranked Genealogy & Local History Department and Cincinnati Room, including the original 1848 Panorama and interactive display. For more information, visit http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/librariansday.

BCG Education Fund Workshop
The Board for Certification of Genealogists Education Fund is sponsoring a full-day pre-conference workshop, “Editor’s Ink, Writer’s Lead,” from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This enrollment-limited, six-hour, hands-on workshop covers both practical writing skills and the process used by peer-reviewed journals. Melinde Lutz Byrne, CG, FASG, and Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, editors of the NGS Quarterly, will provide opportunities for students to learn a variety of excellent writing techniques and practice capturing their enthusiasm for their discoveries in proper form. Attendees will participate in two sessions. Attendance is limited to 60, so register early! Registration is $110 and includes lunch. NGS conference registration is not required to attend this workshop. Visit this page to learn more.

Extended Hours at the Cincinnati Historical Society Library
The CHS Library at the Cincinnati Museum Center is offering special morning hours from 10 a.m. to 12:00 noon for a limited number of conference attendees. Register in advance by phone at 513-287-7030 or email library@cincymuseum.org. Registration is limited to 15 people. The CHS Library is located at 1301 Western Avenue. Normal library hours are Monday through Friday, 12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m., and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Parking is $6.00.

Pre-Conference Events on Tuesday, 8 May