91´«Ã½

CHICAGO—Librarians seeking genealogy reference skills or those hoping to aid their personal family history research can now register for “Genealogy Happens! At the Genealogy Reference Desk,” a 2011 Midwinter institute offered by the 91´«Ã½ genealogy experts, the of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).

This full-day event, sponsored by , is a not-to-be-missed learning experience for reference librarians of all levels of expertise, with coverage of both basic genealogy reference skills and more detailed topics, including social networking for genealogists and military research. Speakers include “Genealogy Guy” Drew Smith; David Rencher, director of the Libraries Division of the Family History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Ron Arons, author of "WANTED! U.S. Criminal Records"; and Curt Witcher, manager, Historical Genealogy Department, Allen County Public Library. ProQuest provides lunch for all event attendees.

The event will be held 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, 2011, at the Valencia Park/Malcolm X Branch of the San Diego Library, 5148 Market Street, San Diego. Interested participants can for this event only (event code RUS1) or can register in conjunction with Annual Conference registration by adding it as a ticketed event. For institute-only registration using the , select “SO-Institute and Ticketed Events Only” as the registration type and proceed to select this event from the list. Advance registration ends Nov. 29, 2010.

Advance registration prices for this event start at $100 for RUSA members, and lunch is included in the registration fee. Registration will be available online until Sunday, Jan. 3 2011. All interested participants must register by this date—no seats will be available at the door on the day of the event. More information about the Midwinter Meeting is available at .

The Reference and User Services Association, a division of the 91´«Ã½, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers advisory and resource sharing. Its History Section exists to represent the subject interests of reference librarians, archivists, bibliographers, genealogists, historians and others engaged in historical reference or research. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Not a member, but interested in discounted registration rates on conference, preconferences and other events? Join, renew or add RUSA to your 91´«Ã½ membership at . Learn more about the association at .

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