If you read this newsletter regularly, you already know that I travel quite often. By the time you read these words, I should be on a flight to Little Rock, Arkansas. I'll be attending the annual conference of the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
The conference is being held Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of this week. It will be a major conference. Some years it is the biggest in the U.S. with anywhere from 900 to 1,600 attendees.
This year's event will feature more than 160 lectures, workshops, and other learning opportunities presented by speakers from all over the U.S. over the course of four days. With the conference in Little Rock, there are plenty of sessions related to Arkansas roots, but the program offers something for just about everyone. Lectures about research in other states, on specific ethnic groups, libraries and archives, research methodology, technology, migration, military records, and some unique topics will grab your interest. A special feature of the first day is a selection of lectures devoted to assisting volunteers running genealogy societies and their websites, publications, classes, meetings, and special events.
This year’s conference is being held in Little Rock’s Statehouse Convention Center. The Exhibit Hall, on-site registration area, and the lecture rooms are conveniently located in the same building that is easily walkable. One host hotel, the Peabody, is attached to the convention center. The Doubletree is less than a one block walk away.
You can read more about this conference in my recent articles at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/07/fgs-conference-in-little-rock.html and at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/08/wifi-in-little-rock.html as well as at the FGS Web site at http://www.fgs.org/2009conference/index.php and on the conference blog at http://www.fgsconferenceblog.org/.
I will insert my normal disclaimer that I use every time I travel: I do expect to be traveling with an assortment of laptop computers, a wireless "air card" and wi-fi equipment, modem, and other gadgets. I expect to post articles to this newsletter more or less daily during my travels. I even hope to post a few photographs taken at the conference.
However, don't be surprised if I miss a day or two of newsletter articles this week because of my schedule or because of possible hardware malfunctions.
Also, the next Plus Edition e-mail newsletter will probably be delayed a day or possibly two. I normally send it Sunday evenings but this Sunday I'll be riding airplanes most all day.
See you in Little Rock!
