Educational opportunities abound in 2021 for the budding genealogist to the professional! Here is a list of the largest conferences and institutes taking place in 2021 (and 2022). Check your calendar and make sure you attend at least one!
Conferences
RootsTech Connect
Where: Virtual
When: February 25-27, 2021
Registration: Open Now
Website: https://www.rootstech.org
Cost: FREE
RootsTech is going virtual for 2021, replacing their live conference in Salt Lake City. Attendance is 100% free and each session is recorded for viewing live or on-demand!
NGS Family History Conference
Where: Richmond, Virginia
When: May 19-22, 2021
Registration: January 25, 2021
Website: https://conference.ngsgenealogy.org
The National Genealogical Society’s Family History Conference is still being promoted as a live event. From their website, you can choose from more than 175 educational lectures from the basics to advanced with a variety of lectures to help further your research including: African American, BCG Skillbuilding, DNA, Heritage, Immigration/Naturalization, Land and Maps, Methodology, Migration, Military, Research Foundations, Organizing Your Research, Records and Repositories, Reference Services, Religion, States, Tech Tips, Virginia, Women, and Writing.
jamboree 2021
Where: Virtually
When: June 11-12, 2021
Registration: Open Now
Website: https://genealogyjamboree.com
Cost: $175 for non members; $155 for members
Hosted by the Southern California Genealogical Society, this 51st jamboree Conference is held June 11-12, with over 56 lectures available.
41st IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy
Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
When: August 2-5, 2021
Registration: March 1, 2021
Website: https://iajgs2021.org
Cost: $350
The IAJGS expects close to 1000 participants from across the US and around the world for their conference featuring more than 100 speakers, with more than 250 sessions covering virtually every aspect of Jewish genealogy.
Conference Calendars
Want to see more conferences that may be closer to home? Check out these sites below!
Online Courses
National Genealogical Society
The NGS has courses for those just getting started to the professional who needs to refine their skills. See what course is right for you: https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/genealogy-courses/.
Institutes
Genealogical institutes are typically week-long classes, allowing you to focus on one topic for that week with likeminded classmates. The classes are typically hands on and progress through the topics of the material with discussions and are a great way to immerse and learn! This list includes the institutes in order by date from now through 2022. Don’t forget to note the registration date – classes fill quickly!
Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP)
Where: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania / Virtually
When: June 20-25 & July 11-16
Registration: February 17
Website: https://www.gripitt.org
Cost: $550 (Early bird $475 until April 1.)
GRIP is entering its tenth year as an institute, although due to COVID, it will be virtual again for 2021. Some courses include: Practical Genetic Genealogy with Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D, J.D.; Reading, Transcribing, and Abstracting Old Documents with Carla Cegielski, MSLS; and Mastering the Art of Genealogical Documentation with Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG®, FASG, FUGA, FNGS. See all of the courses available here.
Midwest African American Genealogical Institute (MAAGI)
Where: Ft. Wayne, Indiana / Virtually
When: July 6-8
Registration: Open until June 1.
Website: http://www.maagiinstitute.org
Cost: $325
MAAGI is the only African American focused event offering a total of 48 classes over 3 days with evening lectures, and guided personalized instruction. Previous MAAGI institutes were held at the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. This year will be a virtual experience. Some tracks include: Methods and Strategies for Slavery Era Research with Shelley Murphy, B.S., M.A., D.M.; DNA & Genealogy with Bernice Alexander Bennett, B.S., MPH; and African-Native American Genealogy with Angela Walton-Raji, B.A., M.Ed. See all of the tracks available here.
Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research (IGHR)
Where: Athens, Georgia / Virtually
When: July 25-30
Registration: March 6
Website: https://ighr.gagensociety.org
Cost: $545 (If GGS member, $495.)
IGHR is hosted by the Georgia Genealogical Society with courses normally taking place at the University of Georgia. 2021 will be hosted virtually. Some of the courses include: Military Records I: The Colonial Era to the Vietnam War with Michael Strauss, AG®; Methods & Sources with Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG®; and Writing and Publishing for Genealogists with Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG®, FASG, FUGA, FNGS. See all of the courses available here.
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG)
Where: Salt Lake City, Utah
When: January 9-14 2022
Registration: August 2021
Website: https://slig.ugagenealogy.org/index.php
SLIG is sponsored by the Utah Genealogical Society and is held in January every year. SLIG 2022 is currently accepting course proposals but some courses in 2021 featured From Sea to Shining Sea: Researching Our Ancestors’ Migrations in America with our very own Annette Burke Lyttle; Show Me Missouri with Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, FUGA; and Pre-1837 English Research: Digging Deeper with Paul Milner, MDiv, FUGA.
Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed)
Where: College Park, Maryland & Washington, D.C.
When: July 2022
Website: https://www.gen-fed.org
Gen-Fed is a one week program offering in-depth study of material held by the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and College Park, Maryland. The Gen-Fed 2020 program was cancelled and all people who registered and paid were moved to July 2021. They are not accepting any new registrations for 2021. Information on 2022 will be coming soon.