Get ready for genealogy’s first virtual winter camp

This Saturday, August 8, may provide a once-in-a-lifetime chance for some genealogists.

Those who have wistfully eyed the offerings of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) every January and mournfully looked away because there was just no way to travel at that time of year may want to take a much closer look for 2021.

Because SLIG’s 2021 courses — all of them — both regular and SLIG Academy — are going virtual, meaning you can take the course of your dreams online from your own home.

That means a lot more people may be able to take a SLIG class in 2021 who never could before.

The 2021 class line-up is truly stellar, with 13 courses and a guided research and consultation program offered over two weeks (week 1 is January 10-15 and week 2 is January 24-29), and another four courses in what’s called SLIG Academy, aimed at genealogical professionals — and professional wannabes — in weekly sessions running from February through early April.

But here’s the potential issue: because class sizes won’t be all that different online or virtual, it also means classes may fill up faster than ever before.

So… if this sounds like just what you’re looking for — here’s a big heads-up: registration opens Saturday — this Saturday — August 8th — at 10:00 am Mountain time (that’s 9 a.m. Pacific, 11 a.m. Central, noon Eastern and whatever it is in the rest of the world) for the regular SLIG courses and at 2 p.m. Mountain time for the SLIG Academy courses (1 p.m. Pacific, 3 p.m. Central, 4 p.m. Eastern).

And, seriously, some of these courses — including, of course, the one you want — are bound to fill up in minutes.

Because you need an account before you can register, you’ll need to read up on the registration process. For both SLIG and SLIG Academy, there’s a Registration FAQ and a separate Registration page.

But once you’ve done all that… there are some goodies that await.

The full descriptions of all SLIG course can be found here, but it surely won’t surprise you that the course The Legal Genealogist thinks you should take is bei9ng offered in week 1 (January 10-15), and that’s Corpus Juris: Advanced Legal Concepts for Genealogy.

Yep, that’s mine. It’s an in-depth course on law as it applies to genealogy where students work with legal records and sources — and even get a virtual “field trip” overview of the resources of a law library. My team for the course includes LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, Thomas W. Jones, CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, Rev. David McDonald, DMin, CG, George R. Ryskamp, JD, AG, and Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA.

Other courses (besides mine) that may fill your needs include:

Week 1 (January 10-15):

• From Sea to Shining Sea: Researching Our Ancestors’ Migrations in America
Coordinator: Annette Burke Lyttle

• Advanced Techniques for Mastering Online Searches and Uncovering Digital Records
Coordinator: D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS

• Show Me Missouri
Coordinator: Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, FUGA

• Mother Russia: Research in the Countries of the Former Russian Empire and USSR
Coordinator: Joseph B. Everett, MLS, AG

• Meeting Standards Using DNA Evidence
Coordinator: Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG

• Advanced Genealogical Methods
Coordinator: Paul K. Graham, AG, CG, CGL

Week 2 (January 24-29):

• Advanced Practices in Social History
Coordinator: Gena Philibert-Ortega, MA, MAR

• Advanced Research Tools: Land Records
Coordinator: Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA

• In-Depth African American Genealogy
Coordinator: LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL

• The Pennsylvania German and Research in the Keystone State
Coordinator: Michael D. Lacopo, DVM

• Pre-1837 English Research: Digging Deeper
Coordinator: Paul Milner, MDiv, FUGA

• Introduction to Genetic Genealogy
Coordinator: Paul Woodbury, MEd

• Guided Research and Consultation
Coordinator: Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG, FUGA

And from SLIG Academy, described in more detail here, your choices are:

• Writing and Documenting for Peer Review
Coordinator: Karen Mauer Jones, CG, FGBS, FUGA
Thursdays, 10:00 am–2:00 pm MT, 11 February through 15 April 2021; $525 ($475 for members of the Utah Genealogical Association)

• Teaching Genealogy Classes in Your Community
Coordinator: Katherine R. Willson
Thursdays, 5:00–7:45 pm MT, 11 February through 8 April 2021; $495 ($445 for UGA members)

• The Path to Accreditation and Certification
Coordinator: Paul K. Graham, AG, CG, CGL
Wednesdays, 11:00 am–2:00 pm MT, 10 February through 7 April 2021; $475 ($425 for UGA members)

• Fundamentals of Forensic Genealogy
Coordinator: Catherine B. W. Desmarais, CG
Wednesdays, 5:00–8:00 pm MT, 10 February through 7 April 2021; $495 ($445 for UGA members)

Again, registration for SLIG regular courses opens at 10 a.m. Mountain time and for SLIG Academy at 2 p.m. Mountain time.

Registration for SLIG regular courses is $495 ($445 for members of the Utah Genealogical Association), except for the DNA courses. The week 1 DNA course is now $560 ($510 for UGA members) but may drop if the course ends up being sponsored. The week 2 DNA course is $510 ($460 for UGA members). For the SLIG Academy courses, the costs are as set out above. Yes, you can join and get the member discount but you’ll need to do that in advance too. Those attending a regular SLIG course also get a $50 discount on a SLIG Academy course but it won’t kick in unless you register for the regular course first.

But remember first and foremost, if you haven’t done so in the past, you will need to create a new registration account before registration opens. Don’t miss out on a course you want because you’re still filling out forms.

Hope to “see” you at SLIG, virtually, in 2021!

Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “SLIG 2021 registration opens Saturday,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 6 Aug 2020).