Jamboree: Syllabus Copies Available

Print and CD copies of the Jamboree syllabus are available for purchase at the SCGS website.

The printed syllabus is $20; the CD version is $10.  The CD version requires Adobe Reader and is fully searchable. Quantities are limited so act quickly.

Jamboree: Factoid - Level of Proficiency

How would you rate your genealogical experience and researching proficiency?  Click on the image below to see a more legible version of the table.  Jamboree offers courses at all experience levels.

Jamboree: Factoid - How Many Times at Jamboree

Over one-third of Jamboree registrants are first-timers in 2010.  Close to 20% are returning for their second Jamboree.  Click on the image to see a larger, more legible table.

Help SCGS by Shopping and Swiping at Ralphs

As I was leaving Ralphs the other day, I noticed that they were asking customers to upgrade their Ralphs Rewards cards. That reminded me that I had registered my card so that a percentage of my shopping would be donated to SCGS.  I looked at the bottom of my receipt and saw the familiar "SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GENEALOGICAL" (see photo) as confirmation that I had correctly registered.

The amount donated to SCGS is based on the total amount of a customer's quarterly spending as shown below.

1% - Up to $200                              
2% - Between $200.01 and $350 
3% - Between $350.01 and $500  
4% - Over $500                                

Ralphs contributes a maximum of $750,000 quarterly to be distributed among all participating eligible organizations. This is a valuable source of funding to aid SCGS in meeting its financial commitments. Per Ralphs, periodic re-registration is required so make sure to check the bottom of your receipt each time your shop.

Help SCGS earn the maximum donation per quarter by registering your card on-line (detailed instructions).

Go to www.ralphs.com and log into your account
Click "My Account"
Verify the Ralphs Rewards Card Information is correct
Edi your Community Rewards Information by typing "SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GENEALOGICAL" into the search box.

(NOTE: may take 72 hours to reflect registration)

You can also stop by the Tech Zone at Jamboree to register.

Thanks to Heidi Ziegler for this post

Jamboree Genealogy World - Small Group Discussions

We are so excited about Friday morning's JamboFREE activities this year.  The events will remove the barrier of cost for anyone who is interested in learning how to trace their roots.

The free Genealogy World round table discussions make up a mini-conference of their own.  With nearly twenty different topics during each of two sessions, all participants are sure to find something that will help advance their own research.  The round table discussions are hosted by individuals who have experience in the topic or area, but they are intended as an information exchange.  It's a great way to get to know other attendees and make new friends, too.

Round table discussion groups have been set up for geographic emphasis as well as topics.

Geographic / ethnic:  African-American, English, German, Jewish, Mexican, New England, Portuguese, Scottish, English-Canadian, French-Canadian, Hungarian, Irish, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish

Topics: Adoption Research and Reunion, DNA, Energize your Society Membership and Volunteerism (CSGA), Genealogists in Second Life, Planning Great Programs and Events (CSGA), Show and Tell, Society Newsletters (CSGA), Archiving your Family Movies and Sound Recordings, and publishing your family history.

Bring examples for the sessions that are italicized.  Be sure you also have your family group sheets, documents for your reference, and specific questions to raise during the session.  If you need something translated, bring that too.  No promises, but lots of help will be available to help you pole vault right over that brick wall!

You can download the complete list and descriptions of topics for both sessions here.

Preregistration is requested but is not required.  Genealogy World will be held in the Pavilion (the big white tent to the east of the Convention Center.   You can't miss it.  9am to 12noon at the Marriott Burbank Airport.  Be there!

Jamboree - A Genealogy Destination

In the pre-Internet years, Jamboree was designed as trade show with some lecture sessions.  It drew local family historians and genealogists.

Jamboree has grown over the years to become a destination for genealogists who come from locations all around the country. This year we are welcoming attendees from Arizona, northern and southern California, Canada, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Washington.  All I have to say is WOW!

We look forward to personally welcoming everyone to sunny Southern California.

SCGS Social Media Policy

Jamboree has enjoyed a special relationship with the blogging community since the first Blogger Summit in 2008.  Just two years ago, 90% of the active genealogy blogging community could be seated at a dais.  Now, we would be hard pressed to find a room that would hold everyone!

To ensure that we have an environment that is mutually supportive for the social medial users, our lecturers, and our lecture audience members, the SCGS Board of Directors adopted the following Social Media Policy:

The Southern California Genealogical Society is an active supporter of the use of social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, and blogging) at its events, including the society’s annual Genealogy Jamboree.  Event attendees are allowed and encouraged to promote, critique, and review the conference, its exhibitors, speakers, and activities using these forms of media.

Use of smartphones, netbooks, laptops, etc., shall not disrupt other attendees.  Mobile device ringers must be set to silent during lecture sessions.

Attendees are prohibited from recording the proceedings of any lecture or workshop session by any means, including but not limited to photography, audio recording, video recording, or verbatim transcription, without expressed written permission from both SCGS and the lecture speaker.  Some sessions will be professionally audio recorded and available after the event.

Social media may be used to summarize or extract lecture content provided:

(1) the author is referenced and cited appropriately; and

(2) material is not shared in full. 

We fully respect the intellectual property rights of the authors of syllabus materials and lecture content. Copyright laws apply.

Genealogy Authors: Sell Your Books at Jamboree

Genealogy Authors: Are you interested in selling your books at Jamboree? We will be glad to handle sales through the SCGS sales table in return for a modest handling fee. We will take care of the taxes and promote your books. If you will be at Jamboree, we will schedule you for book signings at times that are best for you.

If you're selling books from your own booth, let us know and we'll schedule you for book signings as well. We want to help you succeed, and we want to provide as many resources to our exhibit hall shoppers as we can.

Interested? You can get the scoop, give us your desired schedule for book signings, and provide all the financial details about the book sale, please read the information at http://JamboreeBookSales.surveyconsole.com

Call for Jamboree Volunteers

Jamboree is more fun when you set aside a couple of hours to help. You know you want to be there, so why not be a part of the action! Volunteer now! No experience is necessary; we’ll train you for the job. Some jobs take brains, some take brawn, and others just take a willing smile, an interest in people and a volunteer’s heart.

Carma-Lu Thompson will be overseeing the volunteer army and she will be getting in touch with volunteers as Jamboree draws near. Send an email to Carma-Lu at clu5536@yahoo.com to let her know of the times, dates and tasks that interest you.

Volunteers who work at least four (4) hours on site at Jamboree will receive a $5 food coupon as a token of appreciation. Volunteers can earn one coupon per day.

Here's what we need:

Team Leaderships Roles:

1. Transportation Team Leader. Oversee the load-out from SCGS beginning at noon on Thursday, June 10. Arrange for truck (Uhaul or private trucking). On Friday morning, oversee the loading and return of both bus trips (Evergreen Cemetery and SCGS Library). Distribute and collect release forms. Serve as primary contact for Marriott parking staff. Oversee the load-out from the Marriott to SCGS on Sunday after 3:30 p.m.

2. Door Prize / Raffle Manager. Solicit door prizes from sponsoring organizations. Maintain records of door prizes donated. Organize the drawing and disbursement of door prizes at Jamboree. Oversee system of notifying winners. Sell tickets and encourage sales onsite at Jamboree.

3. Audio-Visual Equipment Team Leader: Place the correct equipment in each speaker's room. Assist in connecting the equipment; perform equipment and sound checks. Assure security of equipment.

Other Positions:

Conference Center Door Staff: Direct guests away from the convention center during Friday morning set-up hours. Provide directions to JamboFREE events. Serve as door guard for Convention Center. Open doors for exhibitors.

Pre-Registration Table: Greet attendees. Distribute registration packets, Pink Sheets, and name badges. Distribute printed syllabus to those who have tickets. Break open boxes. Friendly, cheerful, unflappable. Casual business attire.

Hospitality: Greet people and direct them to the appropriate registration line (pre-register or walk-in). Distribute and collect registration forms from walk-in registrants waiting in line. Give directions to lecture rooms, rest rooms, etc. Collect Jamboree evaluation forms.

Room Monitor: badge checks/take tickets, distribute / collect evaluation forms, estimate attendance at each session, photograph speakers and audience shots, and do room maintenance (straighten chairs, etc.). Notify Venue Manager immediately of any audio-visual, speaker, unsafe crowding, any problematic issues. May introduce speaker but this is not required. (Note to volunteers: We need at one monitor for each session and multiple monitors for large sessions. Volunteering as a monitor is a great way to be assured of a seat at even the most popular session. Check the lecture schedule and pick the two or three sessions that are most important for you to attend. Volunteer to be room monitor for those sessions, and Carma-Lu will do her best to assign you to the lecture your choice. It's the best way to be assured of a seat in a very popular class.)

Speaker Introduction: Read prewritten introductions of speakers. Stick to the script, short and sweet. Respectful and professional. Must be comfortable speaking in front of groups.

Ancestry.com Scanning: Primary onsite contact for Ancestry.com staff. Organize sign-up at beginning of each day. Ancestry.com has asked for volunteers to help run the digitizing equipment and there are volunteer positions open with Ancestry as well.

Tech Zone: Set up / maintain equipment, assist patrons with use of databases, keep time used by patrons, troubleshoot access. Assure security of equipment.

Data entry: Enter results of evaluation forms. Inform coordinators of serious issues.

We also need volunteers for:

SCGS Sales Table: Handles money. Runs cash register. Assists patrons with purchases. Maintains sales table. Sells speakers' books, SCGS items, raffle tickets, memberships.  Volunteers for the SCGS Sales Table should contact Jan Jennings at jantj@sbcglobal.net.

Genealogy World Round-table Discussions Contact Lin LaRochelle at mefinley@earthlink.net.

Registration Bag Stuffers - Show up at the SCGS Library on Saturday, June 5, at 10am for the annual assembly chaos of stuffing the registration bags. It's a great way to get to meet other volunteers and to get a sneak peek at Jamboree. It kicks off Jamboree Week in a rousing, fun, free-pizza-for-all, kind of way.

We Need You!

FREE Librarians' Genealogy Boot Camp in Burbank

The Southern California Genealogical Society is pleased to announce a free three-hour educational opportunity for librarians who assist genealogy and family history patrons.

Offered in conjunction with the Society’s annual Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank, California, the Librarians’ Genealogy Boot Camp will be conducted by two of genealogy’s most popular speakers:

• George G. Morgan is an internationally recognized genealogist and author of eight books, several online columns, and hundreds of articles for genealogical publications. As president of Aha! Seminars, Inc., George conducts seminars for libraries and genealogists. George is a director of two genealogical societies and co-host of “The Genealogy Guys Podcast.”

• Drew Smith, MLS, a University of South Florida librarian, is co-host of the Genealogy Guys Podcast, author of the book Social Networking for Genealogists, and a columnist for Digital Genealogist magazine. Drew is a Director of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and President of the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa).

Session 1 - Using the HeritageQuest® Databases (Morgan). The HeritageQuest Online databases by ProQuest undoubtedly contain some of the richest American genealogical materials. Many libraries provide remote access to library cardholders to this collection. Learn how to unlock the power and content of this great resource.

Session 2 - How to Help Your Patrons Find the Book with Their Family in It (Smith). Show your patrons how to do an exhaustive search for books and other published materials about their families that will help them begin their research.

Friday, June 11, 2010
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Hollywood Room – first floor, main hotel
Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Hotel
2500 Hollywood Way
Burbank, CA 91504

The Librarians' Genealogy Boot Camp is free. Attendance is limited to 100 participants and advance registration is required.

Registration details and further information can be found at www.scgsgenealogy.com. Look for the “Librarians’ Boot Camp” listing under the SCGS Events and Programs. While you’re there, check out all of the great sessions to be offered at Jamboree.

Please feel free to share this announcement with your colleagues.

Paula Hinkel
Co-Chair, Genealogy Jamboree
Southern California Genealogical Society
417 Irving Drive
Burbank, CA 91504
818.843.7247
jamboree@scgsgenealogy.com