By Mauren Kunz
BYU Conferences and Workshops will host the eighth annual computerized genealogy conference Friday and Saturday.
The conference is designed to be a how-to guide for everyone, from beginners to expert researchers, and will introduce the latest technologies and ideas in genealogical research.
?We saw a need for more emphasis on the computer end of genealogy and the software,? said Robert Holcombe, program administrator for BYU Conferences and Workshops. ?Then they needed trained to use the software and also be able to utilize it to its best ability. So we created tracks for beginners, intermediates and advanced researchers so that people, at their own levels, could get something out of the conference.?
Holcombe also said the conference has received positive feedback from evaluations.
?The conferences are productive in terms of disseminating information to those who come,? he said. ?Not only to those people who come ? but to others as those who attend take the information back and hopefully train family history specialists in their own ward who will then train others. Hopefully it has kind of a domino affect of carrying that training to the greater church and to individuals who are interested in genealogy.?
Rachel Stratford, a senior from Trumbull, Conn. who took an introduction to family history class three years ago, said the conference would probably get students more involved.
?There are always advancements in technology, Stratford said.
?I know that some of what I know is already outdated, so these types of conferences are important,? she said. ?I love that BYU is doing it because it just goes to show that genealogy is an important emphasis in the church.?
Stratford also said it would be a good way for students and others to get involved in genealogy work for the first time.
?I think a lot of people are interested in doing genealogy,? she said, ?but some just don?t know where to start or are like me and took a class, but it was a while ago and things have changed.?
Several experienced genealogists will present at the conference about new technologies in research. Booths will also be set up for vendors to display their products.
?We hope people will take away something new, a unique idea, something they hadn?t been exposed to before,? said Holcombe. ?And that will help them perhaps break through and find an ancestor they had trouble locating prior to this. That?s the real hope of this ? that the information they receive helps the work go forth in a quicker and easier manner.?
The conference will cost $120 for participants not receiving college credit and $168 for those seeking credit.
For more information about lodging options and registration please visit http://ce.byu.edu/cw/cwcompu/.