STA2011 - Pre-Conference Workshops are open to the public!

As readers of The Posterity Project know by now, I am currently planning and organizing the upcoming meeting of the Society of Tennessee Archivists annual meeting, held this year in Nashville, Tennessee on Oct. 26-28 at the John Seigenthaler Center. The theme for this year's meeting is, "Roots: Unearthing Family History in Tennessee Archives" with sessions featuring a wide variety of speakers, including presentations and panel discussions by local authors, professional genealogists, historians, and archivists.

Two outstanding pre-conference workshops are on the schedule for Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011. These are great hands-on learning opportunities, and this year we are opening up registration for these pre-conference workshops to the general public. Here's a quick summary:

Conservation Basics for Family Collections
Presented by Carol Roberts, Director of Preservation Services Section of the Tennessee State Library and Archives

Carol Roberts presents an overview of archival preservation techniques of caring for historic family records. Family collections and scrapbooks can easily be preserved through proper storage and care. Many different types of media can be preserved easily using good archival storage techniques, basic cleaning and repair techniques, and even using current digital options available today. [COST: $30]

Keeping the Faith: Family History Research in Nashville’s Religious Archives
Presented by Barbara Baltz, Lynn Fleishcer, Andrea Gales, Taffey Hall, Sarah Harwell, Jim Havron, Therese Howell, J. Mark Lowe, Gail Miller, Greg Poole, Laine Sutherland, and Janet Walsh

Ever wondered if your ancestor served as a minister or other church official? Or what church life was like on the frontier? Curious about baptismal records? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you won’t want to miss this workshop on family history research in Nashville’s religious archives. This workshop provides practical information to genealogists about what sources are where. The workshop also provides information about finding religious materials at state, county, and municipal offices and strategies for finding religious ancestors in court records and southern manuscripts. [COST: $10]


For additional details and registration information, please visit the Society of Tennessee Archivists website and click on the Summer/Fall 2011 STA Newsletter. You can also contact the following individuals for more information: 

• Carol Roberts, Director of Preservation Services, Tennessee State Library and Archives (Conservation Basics for Family Collections pre-conference workshop): Phone 615.253.6446 | E-mail Carol.Roberts@tn.gov

• Taffey Hall, Archivist, Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives (Keeping the Faith: Family History Research in Nashville’s Religious Archives pre-conference workshop): Phone 615.244.0344 | E-mail taffey@sbc.net

I hope to see you there!