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Deadline for submissions is Monday, March 15

It’s going to be fun.

It’s going to be free.

And the deadline for being part of it is coming up fast.

There’s lots that will be new at the 2021 all-virtual conference of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), taking place May 17-21. But one of the newest new parts is the SLAM Idea Showcase, to be held on Tuesday, May 18, at 3 p.m. EDT. It’s a part The Legal Genealogist will be playing a role in — and it’s a part with a deadline coming up on Monday, March 15.

SLAM is the acronym for Societies, Libraries, Archives and Museums. And with the merger last year of NGS and the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), it’s a part the new NGS wants to emphasize.

Therefore, the SLAM Idea Showcase: a chance for societies, libraries, archives and museums to — um, what’s the technical term here? oh yeah — strut their stuff. To show off what they’re doing to serve the genealogical community.

The showcase will consist of informational presentations and “how-to” demonstrations (maximum five minutes) that give these folks a chance to get their names out there, share what they’re doing, and help others learn what can be done. The top three submissions get $250 cash prizes, others winners will get VIVID-PIX software and every submitter gets featured in live chat rooms at the event and on the NGS website.

I get to be the emcee for this part of the NGS conference and I can tell you this will be fun. And — just showing how important this is to us all — it’s free to all NGS registrants.

But if you or your society, library, archives or museum wants to be part of this, your no-longer-than-five-minute video and submission has to be in on Monday, March 15.

Here’s your chance to strut your stuff. To share your great ideas and how you did it with others so they can learn from you. The SLAM Committee would particularly love to see submissions featuring partnerships with other organizations, as well as programs and resources for under-served communities. You don’t have to be a member of NGS — all nonprofits and public institutions serving genealogists and family historians are eligible.

So check out the details at https://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/slam/. Send in your video — you can even turn a PowerPoint into an MP4 video file with or without voiceover. Submissions aren’t being judged for fancy — they’re being judged on being good ideas for genealogy.

And if you personally aren’t a potential submitter, please send this post along to the folks from your favorite society, library, archives or museum.

Let’s see what our societies, libraries, archives and museums are doing for us — and they can do for each other.

It’s fun. It’s free. And it’s got a deadline for submissions.

Monday. March 15.


Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “SLAM at NGS,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 12 Mar 2021).