So I was at FGS 2012 in Birmingham, Alabama this week and I meant to post.  Really I did.  But between meeting with librarians, attending classes, spending time with old friends, meeting new friends and maybe spending just a little time at the bar, it just didn’t happen.

My first day was Librarian’s Day and it was great fun.

Librarian’s Day 2012 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Great speakers and great company.  I ate lunch with Sedalia Gaines and Valencia King Nelson.  Valencia is the pioneer in web based African American research; Sedalia also works on Afrigeneas.org and they entertained and educated me with stories on their past and how to do African American research.  I will be catching up with these ladies at a later date to learn more!

The next day, I took the plunge and put myself on the clock for certification.  I have a year (until the endo of August) submit my application for BCG Certification.  There is no going back now.  I’m excited, more about that to come.

For me, the highlight of Friday was our focus group with librarians.  This was very work related and I learned quite a bit about how they use Ancestry.com in libraries.  If you don’t have an subscription to Ancestry.com, check your library, they might.

Saturday, I caught up with more friends, attended more classes, talked to more librarians and then flew home.  It was a great conference.

And in case you wondering, how is genealogy like the oldest profession?  First you do it for love, first you do it for friends and then you do it for money.  (It’s funny if you are a genealogy geek like me!)

I should be back to regular posts this week!