Looking Ahead: 2013 at The Who Hunter

Whether you call them resolutions or goals, this is the time we reflect on what we’d like to accomplish in the year ahead. As I work on my budget and business plan for 2013 a few things stand out I want to share.

Education

I call genealogy a continuing education endeavor. There will always be something new to learn. Technology alone assures that. Studying the history and place our ancestors lived is essential to good analysis of genealogical facts. As a paid researcher, I must always strive to stay abreast of industry trends, techniques and standards.

This year will be focused on professional education. I look forward to blogging the concepts, techniques, ideas of lectures and webinars I attend. I would also like to take this opportunity to make my first (of several) educational announcement of the year: my participation in ProGen 19.

Professional Genealogy

The ProGen Study Group is a collaborative learning program focused on the study of “Professional Genealogy: A Manuel for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers and Librarians,” edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills. This 18 month program is mentored by a Certified Genealogist. Participants study particular chapters each month.  Related homework assignments are published to the group for feedback. Chats are held monthly to discuss the homework, feedback and preview upcoming assignments.This will be an exciting and challenging learning environment. I’ve been very impressed with the quality and skill level of the participants in my section. I look forward to their critiques. How my educational goals will impact my portfolio submission to the Board for Certification of Genealogist will be determined at a later date. For now, I continue preparing my portfolio with the clock ticking down to the August submission deadline.

Local Resources

My blog posts over the last few months have been scattered. This year I plan to rededicate my writing towards spotlighting the wealth of local resources in the Lower Hudson Valley. While particular emphasis will remain on Orange County, posts will expand to cover Rockland County and the National Archives Regional in New York City. There will still be plenty of blogs on issues interesting to the broader genealogical community. However, I plan to focus on my original intent; helping those with research in the Lower Hudson Valley region achieve their goals.

Publishing

I have been fortunate in both personal and client genealogy working on many complex cases. My goals for this year include having at least one article accepted for publication in a national journal. This is In part about seeking peer review of my work. It is also about sharing a few very creative approaches to getting through those ever present brick walls.

I would love to publish a couple of compilation projects I’ve had my eye on. Publishing copyrightable genealogical information without destroying its usefulness is challenging. Picking a project serving a broad market rather than just my personal research needs will require discipline. This might be one of the toughest goals I’ve set for myself this year.

Web Development/Marketing

The past several months I have found a community of amazing writers whose work has inspired me to make more of this site, our Facebook Fan Page and other available venues. My technical expertise does not match my ambition. While I suppose this might fall under the heading of education, I realize sometimes it is best to bring in the professionals. Over the next several months, look for improvements which will better socialize the site, increase functionality and promote visibility. In the near term, I will update existing content to standardize sign-offs, citations and photo credits.

Volunteerism

It is very important to me to give back to the genealogical community. Sadly, I’ve let time slip away over the last several months. Contributing to FamilySearch, BillionGraves and FindAGrave is very easy. Unclaimed Persons, while a little more time consuming, is an incredibly worthwhile project. Last year I was offered the opportunity to join the Correspondence Committee of the Orange County Genealogical Society. I have yet to take them up on it. As part of my Who Hunter New Year’s Resolutions, I am recommitting myself to 20 hours a month of volunteer work. Once a month, you’ll see a Quick Hit post detailing my volunteer hours. It will help me for accounting purposes but it will also help you hold me accountable.

Of course, I have many other goals for the year ahead. Reading more and getting more sleep among them. Contradictory, I know! A few old brick walls are on the list as well. How about you? What are your genealogy goals for the coming year? I’d love to hear from you.

Rorey Cathcart

Copyright (c) 9 January 2013

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Rorey Cathcart, “Looking Ahead: 2013 at The Who Hunter” posted 9 January 2013, The Who Hunter, (http://www.whohunter.com accessed [DD Month YYYY])