SLIG 2011 ~ Top Ten Reasons To Attend SLIG

Well the 2011 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy has come and gone.  It was a very busy week and it was really intense ~ there was lots to learn and enough free time to get some serious research time in at the Family History Library.  What's not to like? 

~ So now, my Top Ten List of Reasons I Like To Attend SLIG ~

1. The focus is on education ~ on the first day there were approximately 15 vendors but it was terribly low-key and pretty much for informational purposes only
2. The classes are coordinated by course ~ all of your classes revolve around a theme, have a coordinator and instructors, each class tends to build on the last one, and instructors are usually available after class to answer questions or point you in the right direction
3. UGA and the instructors put together very useful presentations and materials ~ maps of the Salt Lake City area and available services are included, as are the course materials broken out by day and lecture
4. The class size is limited ~ the Irish Family History Research course had 19 attendees and our coordinator asked some questions the first day to gauge our prior knowledge, areas of interest, and family surnames ~ during the course of the lectures he made a point to address special areas of interest
5. After your classes finish up for the day ~ you are steps away from the Family History Library (FHL) and usually have the late afternoon and evening to research
6. Area hotels have very good rates prior to and immediately following SLIG so if you have the time you can fit in some extra research days at the FHL (to put all that new found knowledge to use)
7. UGA personnel seem genuinely interested in making the SLIG better each year and work hard to answer questions and solve problems
8. It's January and snowy ~ what better time to be in Salt Lake City, curled up a wealth of research materials
9. SLIG seems to be get a number of return researcher/attendees as well as newbies, and attracts people from all over the United States
10. Being away from home gives you the opportunity to really focus on your research to the exclusion of pretty much everything else (at least all those everyday things back home)

So, check out the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy's 2012 Schedule (and the preliminary schedules for 2013 and 2014).  Why not give some thought to planning a trip to learn something new and get in some research time in Salt Lake City.