Author: Gen-Fed Administration

Accepting Applications for Gen-Fed Registration 2025

February 8, 2025

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records will be held in-person at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., from Sunday, August 10th through Saturday, August 16th, 2025.

Gen-Fed is now accepting entries for the registration drawing the weeks of February 8th through February 21st, 2025. More people want to attend Gen-Fed than we can accommodate at NARA. For that reason, we use a random selection process to even the playing field.

    1. Fill out the Attendee Seat entry form.
    2. If you win a seat in our random drawing, you’ll be registered.
    3. If you are selected, you must be prepared to pay the fee, agree to policies, and attend the week of Gen-Fed.

To enter your name in the drawing click here after reading the FAQ below: https://airtable.com/appdGvKXC81nsmRAZ/shrCky6QV1C6Dw0K9 

    • Form opens at 9:00 am ET on Saturday, 8 February 2025
    • Form closes at 9:00 pm ET on Friday, 21 February 2025

Gen-Fed will send an email to entrants after the form closes on 21 February with the Zoom link for the live drawing on Saturday, 22 February at 1:00 pm ET / 12:00 pm CT / 11:00 am MT / 10:00 am PT.  You do not need to attend to be awarded the registration seat.

READ THE F.A.Q. FIRST 

Q: How will I know if I won a Gen-Fed seat?
A: Winners will be randomly drawn on Saturday, 22 February 2025 at the times above. It is viewable by all applicants, via Zoom (you don’t need to be present to win).

Q: How many seats are available?
A: In 2025 we will be drawing 35 seats. This is determined by (a) the number of persons allowed in the space reserved for us at Archives I, plus (b) the number of scholarship winners or sponsored students selected Gen-Fed as their institute of choice. Twenty additional names, above and beyond the remaining available seats, will be drawn for waitlist status.

Q: How many times can I enter?
A: Once, if this is your first time or second unsuccessful attempt. The new policy is that those who have applied multiple times since 2021 will be allowed an extra entry into the drawing for every third, fourth, or more attempts to register. In other words, their name will go in multiple times for the current drawing.  See the announcement here for details: https://www.gen-fed.org/mark-your-calendars-for-gen-fed-registration-2025/.

Q: When will waitlist entrants be notified that they’re “in?”
A: ASAP, if/when seats become open.

Q: When do I pay tuition?
A: Payment of $650 will be due, in full, upon email notification that you’ve won a seat and are officially registered.

Q: What if I’m attending on a scholarship (ex: Lackey, ASG, BCG, other sponsorship, etc.)?
A: No need to fill out the form–your seat has already been reserved.

Q: What about hotel and transportation?
A: Each student is responsible for their own transportation and board.  Gen-Fed has contracted with a local hotel for a lower group rate.  Go to the Registration FYI page for more.

Q: What else should I know?
A: Students must all agree to abide by the Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct to be allowed to register.  Additionally, the National Archives has COVID regulations in place, and the Gen-Fed Institute has also amended it to include their own recommendations.  Read them before you fill in your entry form.

Q: Am I ready for Gen-Fed?
A: This is an important question. Gen-Fed is a week of advanced-level courses on federal records in a complex facility.  It is best to have at least intermediate to higher-intermediate level skills and education going into this week.  Try the self-evaluation test here.

Good luck and we hope to see you this year!

Rebecca and Mary

 

By Popular Demand: the Gen-Fed Store

February 1, 2025

The New Gen-Fed Store

We are announcing the launch of the new Gen-Fed merchandise store at https://genfed.axomo.com. Find apparel for men and women, accessories, or alumni-branded items for purchase. Proceeds go to advancing the mission of the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records to continue to provide advanced genealogical educational understanding for records at the National Archives.

Visit https://genfed.axomo.com for something special to remind you of your institute experience.

Mark Your Calendars for Gen-Fed Registration 2025

January 13, 2025

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records will be held in-person at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., from Sunday, August 10th through Saturday, August 16th, 2025.

Gen-Fed registration applications will be accepted from February 8 to 21.
The live randomized drawing will be held on February 22nd. 

There is an exciting change coming to Gen-Fed registration. Here’s what you need to know.

    • The rule that a person cannot attend twice within five years is still our policy. Due to such limited seating we want to give more people a chance.  The only exception to this is for people who attended the 2021 or 2022 virtual sessions. Those persons may reapply for the in-person institute within the five years.
    • We empathize with those who have tried year after year to get in, but haven’t been picked. The new policy is that those who have applied multiple times since 2021 will be allowed an extra entry into the drawing for every third, fourth, or more attempts to register. In other words, their name will go in multiple times for the 2025 drawing.  See the chart below.
    • There will be a section in the new application that goes out on February 8 to indicate previous unsuccessful applications. We will check names on our running list.
    • For persons who attended a virtual session in 2021 or 2022, that year does not count for times applied to Gen-Fed.
    • People who sucessfully obtained a seat from 2021 to 2024 but had to withdraw are eligible for these rules as well.
    • We are not extending this policy to registration applications from 2020 and before.

Looking forward to seeing you!
Rebecca & Mary

Virtual 2021Virtual 2022In-person 2023In-person 2024Options
Applicant 1appliedappliedAfter only 2 tries, this person gets 1 entry in 2025. If applies in 2025 but not drawn, this person eligible for 2 entries in 2026.
Applicant 2appliedappliedappliedAfter 3 tries, this person gets 2 entries in 2025.
Applicant 3appliedappliedappliedappliedAfter 4 tries, this person gets 3 entries in 2025.
Applicant 4appliedattended virtualappliedappliedBecause this person attended a virtual session, their other 3 tries still equal 2 entries in 2025. The virtual session is not an unsuccessful application.
Applicant 5appliedattended in-personThis person attended an in-person session. They are not eligible to apply again until 2028.
Applicant 6appliedname drawn but could not attendappliedThe year this person’s name was drawn for a seat, but they had to withdraw. This still counts as 3 tries, this person gets 2 entries in 2025.

2025 Richard S. Lackey Memorial Scholarship: Open for applications

December 31, 2024

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) Alumni Association sponsors the Richard S. Lackey Scholarship. The Gen-Fed Alumni Association’s purpose is to promote, conduct, and foster education, research, study, and analysis related to genealogy and to disseminate information and support other similar undertakings.

Richard S. Lackey (1921–1983) of Mississippi was a leader in the drive to improve the professionalization of the genealogical community. In addition to lecturing and teaching, he was an author/compiler of standards for genealogical writing, and of Mississippi source material. His work exemplified the highest standards of competent research and scholarly citation of sources. At the time of his death, Richard was President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®.

The Lackey Scholarship is awarded annually to an experienced researcher active in a paid or volunteer position which directly benefits the genealogical community. This year the scholarship will award $1,000, which covers full tuition for the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), and partly defrays hotel and/or meal costs. Provided the public health situation allows the event, the Gen-Fed Alumni Association will also provide dinner at the Gen-Fed Alumni Banquet on Friday night, 15 August 2025, where a check for the amount less tuition will be presented to the recipient.

Julie Huffman, the 2024 Lackey winner, says:

“I was over the moon when I received the email that I had been selected to be the Lackey Scholarship recipient! The scholarship allowed me to reap the unbelievable benefits of a week-long, intensive dive into National Archives records important for genealogical research. As a public-library librarian, I can now take the information I learned and share it with our patrons who may have been intimidated or shy about approaching our National Archives. Also, the week was chock-a-block with presentations by superstars from the world of research and I learned so much! I highly recommend this opportunity to any of you out there interested in history and genealogy, and am very thankful for the opportunity this scholarship gave me.”

The 2025 Application Form can be downloaded by clicking here.

Details:

  • All applications and additional attachments must be submitted in PDF format, combined in one file.
  • The completed application form and attachments should be emailed to Jonathan Deiss at jdeiss@soldiersource.com with “Lackey Scholarship 2025” in the subject line.
  • The PDF file name should include your last name and first initial, such as “DoeJ Lackey Scholarship 2025 Application.”
  • A complete application must be received no later than midnight (Eastern Time) January 31, 2025.

The winner will be notified by 1 March 2025. Other applicants will be notified shortly after that date. The scholarship winner will automatically be accepted for the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records to be held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., from August 10–16, 2025.

Alumni Association Gathering on August 16th, 2024

July 2, 2024

If you are planning on being in D.C. during the Gen-Fed week, consider joining us for the Alumni Association evening gathering on August 16th.  Reservations are required, go to https://www.gen-fed.org/home/alumni-association/banquet24/ for more information.

Our speaker will be Trevor K. Plante, Supervisory Archivist at the D.C. National Archives, who will inform us on the progress of NARA’s digitization efforts.

 

 

Lackey Award Winner for 2024 – Julie Huffman

April 19, 2024

The Gen-Fed Alumni Association is pleased to present Julie Huffman as the winner of the 2024 Richard S. Lackey Memorial Scholarship. 

Julie Huffman has been the genealogy librarian at the Central Library of Los Angeles Public Library for 10 years and—over the course of 23 years at LAPL—a young adult, children’s, and adult reference librarian.

Her Master of Library and Information Science is from UCLA and she has a Bachelor’s of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Welcome, Julie, to the class of 2024!

Announcing Date Change for Gen-Fed 2024

February 13, 2024

Gen-Fed 2024 Date Change!

Due to unforseen circumstances, the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records will now be held in-person at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.,
from Sunday, August 11th through Saturday, August 17th, 2024.

Sometimes, we just have to roll with the punches. If these new dates allow you to attend now, Gen-Fed is still accepting entries for the registration drawing through February 16th, 2024. One of the benefits of this change is that we can add three more seats.  It may not seem like a lot, but with our limited classroom size, we try to accomodate as many as we can.  If you have already signed up for the drawing and cannot now attend, send an email to info@gen-fed.org.

To enter your name in the drawing click here after reading the FAQ below: https://airtable.com/app89NTnfxcLGjVIM/shrEBtczX6ITPEa6S 

The form closes at 9:00 p.m. ET on Friday, 16 February 2024. Gen-Fed will send an email to entrants after the form closes on 16 February with the Zoom link for the live drawing on Saturday, 17 February at 1:00 p.m. ET / noon CT / 11:00 a.m. MT / 10:00 a.m. PT.  You do not need to attend to be awarded the registration seat. Please mark “info@gen-fed.org” as a safe contact in your email!

READ THE F.A.Q. FIRST 

Q: How will I know if I won a Gen-Fed seat?
A: Winners will be randomly drawn on Saturday, 17 February 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET during a live session, viewable by all, via Zoom (you don’t need to be present to win).

Q: How many seats are available?
A: In 2024 we will be now be drawing 38 seats. This is determined by (a) the number of persons allowed in the space reserved for us at Archives I, plus (b) the number of 2023 scholarship winners or sponsored students who selected Gen-Fed as their institute of choice. Twenty additional names, above and beyond the remaining available seats, will be drawn for waitlist status.

Q: How many times can I enter?
A: Once, please. Duplicates will not be included in the drawing.

Q: When will waitlist entrants be notified that they’re “in?”
A: ASAP, if/when seats become open.  No waitlist students will be notified after July 10th. The waitlist students will not be held over for 2025.

Q: When do I pay tuition?
A: Payment ($650) will be due, in full, upon email notification that you’ve won a seat and are officially registered.

Q: What if I’m attending on a scholarship (ex: Lackey, ASG, BCG, other sponsorship, etc.)?
A: No need to fill out the form–your seat has already been reserved.

Q: What about hotel and transportation?
A: Each student is responsible for their own transportation and board. Gen-Fed has contracted with a local hotel for a lower group rate.  Go to the Registration FYI page for more.

Q: What else should I know?
A: Students must all agree to abide by the Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct to be allowed to register.  Additionally, the National Archives has COVID regulations in place, and the Gen-Fed Institute has also amended it to include their own recommendations. Both must be at least read before a person can be entered into the drawing.  Read them here.

Q: Am I ready for Gen-Fed?
A: This is an important question. Gen-Fed is a week of advanced-level courses on federal records in a complex facility.  It is best to have at least intermediate to higher-intermediate level skills and education going into this week.  Try this self-evaluation test here.

Good luck and we hope to see you in the second week of August!

Rebecca and Mary

 

Gen-Fed Drawing 2024 This Saturday – February 17th

February 12, 2024
wheelofnames.com, sample with random names.

 

The Gen-Fed Registration Drawing will be held this Saturday, 17 February at 1:00 ET

 

 

After reading the FAQ at https://www.gen-fed.org/advantageous-accidents-gen-fed-drawing-2024/, use this link to enter your name in the drawing, https://airtable.com/app89NTnfxcLGjVIM/shrEBtczX6ITPEa6S .

Gen-Fed will send an email to entrants after the form closes on 16 February with the Zoom link for the live drawing on Saturday, 17 February at 1:00 p.m. ET / noon CT / 11:00 a.m. MT / 10:00 a.m. PT.  You do not need to attend the drawing to be awarded the registration seat.  Registrants will be contacted between Saturday and Monday, 19 February with final registration materials.

If you have already entered the drawing, you may not have completed all the questions and your entry was not complete.  Emails have been sent.  Please check your email including spam folders.

We are looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Rebecca & Mary

 

Advantageous Accidents: Gen-Fed Drawing 2024

January 5, 2024

The Gen-Fed entries are ALREADY being collected for the registration drawing to be held Saturday, 17 February at 1:00 ET.

In the excitement of creating the previous news post, and the admittedly new-to-making-Airtable-wow-this-is-fun glow, I accidentally already posted the link for entering names into the drawing for registration seats, instead of waiting to post it the week of February 10th through February 16th, 2024 as stated. So we asked ourselves, what’s the harm? We are interested to see how this advantageous accident – having the link up for longer than one week – will affect the ability of people to become aware of this unique educational experience. The link will stay up from now until the form closes at 9:00 p.m. ET on Friday, 16 February 2024.  The FAQ about registration is repeated below and has been expanded.

Use this link to enter your name in the drawing, after reading the FAQ below: https://airtable.com/app89NTnfxcLGjVIM/shrEBtczX6ITPEa6S 

Gen-Fed will send an email to entrants after the form closes on 16 February with the Zoom link for the live drawing on Saturday, 17 February at 1:00 p.m. ET / noon CT / 11:00 a.m. MT / 10:00 a.m. PT.  You do not need to attend to be awarded the registration seat.

READ THE F.A.Q. FIRST 

Q: When and where is Gen-Fed held this year?
A: The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records will be held in-person at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., from Sunday, August 4th through Saturday, August 10th, 2024.

Q: Am I ready for Gen-Fed?
A: This is an important question. Gen-Fed is a week of advanced-level courses on federal records in a complex facility.  It is best to have at least intermediate to higher-intermediate level skills and education before going into this week.  Try this self-evaluation test here.

Q: Why hold a drawing for registration, why can’t I just register?
A: More people want to attend Gen-Fed than we can accommodate at NARA. For that reason, we use a random selection process to even the playing field.  After entries are collected, they will be entered for a random drawing to select registrants. If you are selected, you must be prepared to pay the fee, agree to policies, and attend the week of Gen-Fed.

Q: How many seats are available?
A: In 2024 we will be drawing 35 seats. This is determined by (a) the number of persons allowed in the space reserved for us at Archives I, plus (b) the number of 2023 scholarship winners or sponsored students who selected Gen-Fed as their institute of choice. Twenty additional names, above and beyond the remaining available seats, will be drawn for waitlist status for 2024 only.  Those on the waitlist will be registered if people selected for the drawing need to withdraw and a seat becomes open.

Q: How will I know if I won a Gen-Fed seat?
A: Winners will be randomly drawn on Saturday, 17 February 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET during a live session, viewable by all, via Zoom (you don’t need to be present to win).

Q: How many times can I enter?
A: Once, please. Duplicates will not be included in the drawing.

Q: When will waitlist entrants be notified that they’re “in?”
A: ASAP, if/when seats become open.

Q: Will waitlist entrants be on the list for next year?
A: No, the list starts fresh next year with a new drawing.

Q: When do I pay tuition?
A: Payment ($650) will be due, in full, upon email notification that you’ve won a seat and are officially registered.

Q: What if I’m attending on a scholarship (ex: Lackey, ASG, BCG, other sponsorship, etc.)?
A: No need to fill out the form–your seat has already been reserved.

Q: What about hotel and transportation?
A: Each student is responsible for their own transportation and board.  Gen-Fed has contracted with a local hotel for a lower group rate.  Go to the Registration FYI page for more.

Q: If I get a registration seat, then I have to withdraw, can I have a seat saved for next year?  If not, can I get a refund?
A: No, seats are not saved for next year.  The drawing starts fresh every year. Exceptions to this are on a case-by-case basis and are exceptionally rare. Gen-Fed offers a full refund less any bank fees incurred.

Q: What else should I know?
A: Students must all agree to abide by the Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct to be allowed to register.  Additionally, the National Archives has COVID regulations in place, and the Gen-Fed Institute has also amended it to include their own recommendations.  Read them; you must agree to the Code of Ethics and confirm that you will comply with the NARA COVID regulations as well as understand what the Institute COVID recommendations are.

Here’s to the Advantageous Accidents that may find their way into your Research!

Announcing Registration for Gen-Fed 2024

January 1, 2024

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records will be held in-person at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., from Sunday, August 4th through Saturday, August 10th, 2024.

Gen-Fed will begin accepting entries for the registration drawing the week of February 10th through February 16th, 2024. More people want to attend Gen-Fed than we can accommodate at NARA. For that reason, we use a random selection process to even the playing field:

    1. Fill out the Attendee Seat entry form (remains open for one week).
    2. If you win a seat in our random drawing, you’ll be registered.
    3. If you are selected, you must be prepared to pay the fee, agree to policies, and attend the week of Gen-Fed.

To enter your name in the drawing click here after reading the FAQ below: https://airtable.com/app89NTnfxcLGjVIM/shrEBtczX6ITPEa6S 

    • Form opens at 9:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, 10 February 2024
    • Form closes at 9:00 p.m. ET on Friday, 16 February 2024

Gen-Fed will send an email to entrants after the form closes on 16 February with the Zoom link for the live drawing on Saturday, 17 February at 1:00 p.m. ET / noon CT / 11:00 a.m. MT / 10:00 a.m. PT.  You do not need to attend to be awarded the registration seat.

READ THE F.A.Q. FIRST 

Q: How will I know if I won a Gen-Fed seat?
A: Winners will be randomly drawn on Saturday, 17 February 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET during a live session, viewable by all, via Zoom (you don’t need to be present to win).

Q: How many seats are available?
A: In 2024 we will be drawing 35 seats. This is determined by (a) the number of persons allowed in the space reserved for us at Archives I, plus (b) the number of 2023 scholarship winners or sponsored students selected Gen-Fed as their institute of choice. Twenty additional names, above and beyond the remaining available seats, will be drawn for waitlist status.

Q: How many times can I enter?
A: Once, please. Duplicates will not be included in the drawing.

Q: When will waitlist entrants be notified that they’re “in?”
A: ASAP, if/when seats become open.

Q: When do I pay tuition?
A: Payment ($650) will be due, in full, upon email notification that you’ve won a seat and are officially registered.

Q: What if I’m attending on a scholarship (ex: Lackey, ASG, BCG, other sponsorship, etc.)?
A: No need to fill out the form–your seat has already been reserved.

Q: What about hotel and transportation?
A: Each student is responsible for their own transportation and board.  Gen-Fed has contracted with a local hotel for a lower group rate.  Go to the Registration FYI page for more.

Q: What else should I know?
A: Students must all agree to abide by the Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct to be allowed to register.  Additionally, the National Archives has COVID regulations in place, and the Gen-Fed Institute has also amended it to include their own recommendations.  Read them before you fill in your entry form.

Q: Am I ready for Gen-Fed?
A: This is an important question. Gen-Fed is a week of advanced-level courses on federal records in a complex facility.  It is best to have at least intermediate to higher-intermediate level skills and education going into this week.  Try this self-evaluation test here.

Good luck and we hope to see you this year!

Rebecca and Mary