As reported by Jennifer Dobner from the Associated Press today, four genealogical conferences will converge in Salt Lake City in late April. Conference organizers decided to offer attendees the rare chance to attend more than one of the conferences by conveniently holding them all in one week in Salt Lake City. Over 200 genealogy workshops are scheduled from 26 April through 1 May, giving everyone from novices to advanced researchers access to unprecedented learning opportunities.
The events also include a program hosted by President Henry B. Eyring featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and author David McCullough. A FamilySearch.org press release outlining the participation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' is available here.
The AP reported today that early registration for the conferences is exceeding expectations:
The response could be due in part to Salt Lake City's unique resource: The Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has been collecting data since 1894.
The library is a well-known destination for genealogists. Considered the largest genealogy collection in the world, its database contains well over a billion names drawn from thousands of original records, including births, deaths, marriages, census data and patron contributions.
The library also has more than 300,000 volumes of data, including published family histories, county and city directories and transcripts or abstracts of other documents with genealogical significance, said David Rencher, the facility's chief genealogical officer. The records are from the United States, Canada, the British Isles, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. A staff of 80 professionals and 600 volunteers are on hand to help individuals with their research.
