Can Potential Members Locate Your Historical or Genealogical Society?

Several months after sending a mailing to historical and genealogical societies in the state of Tennessee to make sure they knew about the then upcoming National Genealogical Society Conference in Raleigh, I continue to receive some back which were undeliverable. I tried to locate current information on each society through their web sites. If I was unable to locate it, I used the address we had on file from the 2009 conference. Each packet included a copy of the 16-page brochure as well as a letter from me, a fellow Tennessee genealogist. While I did not make an official calculation, based on the number returned to me and the approximate number I sent, about ten percent were returned.

Many societies are in a "dying state." Could it be because they are not reaching potential members? In the 21st century, an online presence is essential. Some societies lack one. In many cases, web sites look abandoned. If your site's design is from the 1990s or early 2000s, people question whether it still exists. Setting the "last updated" code to read the current date does not fool those who stumble upon your site. Many apparently up-to-date sites lack a means of contacting the society.

Your society's web site should include both an email address or contact form and a current "snail mail" address. If your society has a dedicated facility, be sure to include a phone number as well. Your web presence can attract new members. Describe the benefits of joining the society. List the benefits of membership--your newsletter or journal (and its frequency), publication discounts, discounts to workshops, a library for members, etc. Include information on categories of membership (individual, family, life, etc.) and the current price of each of these. Some societies offer PDF forms which may be printed and mailed or options to purchase memberships online using PayPal. Offer a sample newsletter or journal to site visitors.

I located a few societies relying only on a Facebook presence. They are missing a chance to reach many potential members who do not use social media. If your society does use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, be sure to include information on your web site so people know how to follow you.

If your society sells books or back issues, make sure to have an up-to-date page providing information on the publications along with costs (including shipping and tax, if applicable) so libraries and individuals know of their availability. Some societies offer PDF order forms to mail back and/or the ability to order using PayPal.

Make sure your web site is not contributing to your society's demise. Provide and keep contact information updated.

An Editor Can Make or Break Your Society's Publication

In yesterday's mail I received the publication of one of the many societies to which I belong. As I began to leaf through the publication, I knew that there had been a change in editors without even having to search for the information. What had once been one of my favorite publications had, in a single issue, become a major disappointment.

Let me tell you some of the problems:

• I have not counted the number of fonts used throughout the publication, but every single article in this "double issue" appeared to be in a different font -- many of them quite dated fonts.
• There was not enough original material. Too much of this material had been reprinted or lifted from other publications. In fact, in one place they kept the logo of the publication from which it was lifted.
• Some of the material was lifted from other publications, but notices of permission to reprint were not included, and neither were proper citations. In one instance where the article was taken from a society publication which was received in their library, they include the cover image of the journal from which it was taken but do not include the author's byline. There is a disagreement between the cover image and the citation (which was attempted in this case) as to the year in which it was published.
• It is obvious that someone cut and pasted several of the ads in the publication because the lines from where they cut the ad are present and because the ads do not sit square with the page.
• There is too much discrepancy in the manner in which articles are arranged. Some articles have a single column for the page. Others have two. Some are double-spaced; some are single-spaced. In one of the double-spaced articles, they accidentally failed to double-space between one of the lines, leading me to believe that this particular article was created during typewriter days.

I sincerely hope they get their act together and find an editor who will resume the high standards of the previous editor.

The previous editor wrote most of the issues from the last several years alone. He spent time digging in the courthouse for new records to abstract; he spent time looking at old newspapers to glean abstracts; he knew that fresh content was what people wanted -- not recycled content that can be found using PERSI. He also knew that copyright laws existed and that proper attribution should be made. He sometimes used materials from pre-1923 books which were in the public domain, but even then, he gave credit where credit was due. He adhered to standards set forth by BCG and frequently printed these in the publication. (It's a shame the person who edited the issue that arrived yesterday did not read those standards.)

I'm sympathetic to the fact that many editors of society publications have a very low pool of submissions and have to do much of the work on their own; however, there is no excuse for not adhering to standards and copyright when producing a society publication. I know that I'm guilty of not writing articles for publication when I should be doing this regularly. These society publication editors need our contributions -- whether they be articles, abstracts, or even images.

It's then up to the editor to present the materials in a unified format and to tighten up the writing and grammar so that readers have a quality publication instead of a scrapbook.

I have avoided mentioning the specific society and publication in question throughout this article. Why? Because I suspect there are many other cases just like this one out there in society publications throughout the world.

The ironic thing is that it is now time to renew my membership to this society. I probably will rejoin, but I'm doing so in a less enthusiastic manner this year because the value of this membership has declined with the decline in their publication's quality. I wonder how many others who received this issue and saw the renewal notice said, "If they are going to print stuff that I've used in the book I purchased from them and in this other publication to which I subscribe, I'm not going to renew this year." I suspect some will do as I plan to do and renew, but others will face the decision that many persons in these tough economic times are facing and decide that the value for the money is not there and that they are going to let this membership lapse for awhile. How sad!

Is Your Organization at Risk of Losing Its Tax-Exempt Status?

I saw an article on one of the local television station web sites that was encouraging people to check the IRS list of organizations at risk of losing their tax-exempt status to make sure that theirs was not listed. I'm not sure what types of organizations that I expected to see on the list as I clicked one state, but I was alarmed at what I did see. There are many historical societies, Friends of the Library organizations, cemetery associations, fraaternal organizations, and DAR chapters among those in danger. According to the IRS site, "Tax-exempt organizations that do not satisfy annual filing requirements for three consecutive years automatically lose their tax-exempt status. The IRS is providing one-time relief for such organizations that have filing due dates on or after May 17 and before October 15, 2010. The list includes organizations for which the IRS does not have a record of a required annual filing for 2007 and 2008, and whose 2009 return, due on or after May 17 and before October 15, 2010, has not yet been received." PLEASE CHECK to make sure that organizations with which you are affiliated are not included on the list. There is a PDF or Excel file available for each state.

National Library Week Tribute #7: The Historical Society Library

I know all of you have been wondering which library I would choose for my 7th. The truth is that there are just too many libraries out there. I hated to name one historical society library without mentioning them all because they are such great depositories of regional information. I'm going to name a few examples here, but all historical society libraries are included in this seventh tribute.



First of all, I want to mention the Itawamba Historical Society's Library in Mantachie, Mississippi. They are located in the Poteet History Center. If you are researching ancestors in Itawamba County, their library is a "must visit." They have a tremendous collection of family histories from the area. You can purchase back issues of Itawamba Settlers to complete your collection. They also have an ongoing book sale there. You can browse and find a few titles of interest for your personal library.



Another society's library I want to mention is McLean County (Illinois) Historical Society. They have microfilms of many of the older courthouse records there which you can photocopy much more cheaply than you can at the nearby courthouse. I found city directories that were extremely helpful to me which covered even small towns like Carlock where my ancestors lived. I was only able to be there for a short time, but the staff was most helpful to me during my brief visit. (I'd spent too much time tromping about the cemetery earlier! You know how that goes with genealogists.)



Then there is the "ultimate" historical society--the New England Historic Genealogical Society. I'm looking forward to another visit there this summer. The photo below was made after FGS conference in 2006. They have all kinds of wonderful resources there! You can't ignore them if you have New England ancestry. The society is located in the Back Bay area on the very trendy Newbury Street. It's not far from the Boston Public Garden and Boston Common. You can even do lunch "where everybody knows your name" or at many other great restaurants in the area. This library is also within walking distance of another great library, the Boston Public Library. Well, I must go and prepare for my visit to the NEHGS Library!