Reflections on the 45th IAJGS Conference

After publishing two blog posts with the details of my week at the 45th IAJGS conference, I’ve been reflecting on the bigger picture—the conference as a whole.

Organization and Atmosphere

First and foremost: this was one of the best-organized conferences I’ve ever attended. From my first interaction with the committee when I submitted my speaking proposal, communication was clear, timely, and professional. That attention to detail carried right through the week. The conference app was intuitive and reliable—a small but important blessing when you’re juggling sessions, meetings, and events.

The staff and volunteers at the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) deserve special recognition. They were knowledgeable, patient, and generous with their time. The folks from Visit Fort Wayne also made us feel genuinely welcome in their city.

Content and Variety

The presentations offered something for everyone: beginners just starting their genealogical journey, seasoned researchers diving into complex archival puzzles, and everyone in between. That range is part of what makes IAJGS special—you’re guaranteed to learn something new, no matter your background or expertise.

I even picked up some quirky tidbits along the way:

• From Bill Gladstone’s “Publish or Perish,” I learned the origin of the hockey term “hat trick.” In the 1940s, Toronto haberdasher Sammy Taft promised Maple Leafs forward Alex Kaleta a free hat if he could score three goals in one game. Kaleta actually scored four, the newspapers reported on his “hat trick,” and the term stuck.
• From Yaron Wolfsthal’s talk on genealogical surprises, I discovered the familienstammbuch—a family register book issued to newly married couples in Germany starting in the late 19th century. It served as a central place to record vital records, keeping everything neatly in one place instead of scattered across loose certificates. A tradition worth reviving!

In-Person vs. Virtual

Now for the elephant in the seminar room: the future of IAJGS conferences. Next year the conference will be virtual, and opinions are divided.

I hadn’t fully realized how jaw-droppingly expensive “Tier One” cities like New York or Philadelphia are for hosting events. (Spoiler: it’s a lot.) That’s exactly why the organizers chose Fort Wayne this year—as a more affordable alternative. But here’s the rub: attendance dropped to 400, and some people grumbled that Fort Wayne was too hard to get to or that there wasn’t enough to do. Last year in Philadelphia, attendance was nearly double at 800, but the loudest complaints were about the cost of hotels and food, which required an arm, a leg, and possibly your firstborn child. In other words, you can’t have it both ways. Here’s the situation as I see it:

• In-person conferences offer invaluable networking, spontaneous hallway conversations, and a sense of community you just can’t replicate online. They also provide access to local archives, libraries, and cultural sites—like ACPL—that enrich the research experience. The downside: cost, logistics, and physical challenges. (Case in point: American Airlines changed our gate at the last minute, leaving me to push Scott in a wheelchair across half the airport.)
• Virtual conferences win on accessibility. No travel costs, no wrestling with airports, and no worries about whether family responsibilities, physical limitations, or budgets will keep you from attending. They also make it far easier for international participants to join, expanding the community beyond those who can afford the trip. At home, you can zoom in on slides instead of squinting at font-size-8 text in a dimly lit ballroom, and you don’t have to agonize over conflicting sessions—recordings mean you can finally watch both.

The trade-off, of course, is that virtual events can feel isolating. Without the buzz of hallway conversations and spontaneous meet-ups, it’s harder to build connections. And let’s be honest: many of us already spend more than enough time on Zoom.

Personal Highlights

One unexpected highlight was my own workshop, Writing Your Heirloom’s Story. Though the group was small, participants were highly engaged—especially intrigued by how I created Doris’s New Home, the children’s adaptation of my novel Nothing Really Bad will Happen, using AI. Their enthusiasm sparked an idea: future workshops on leveraging AI to create family-history-focused or children’s storybooks. The wheels are already turning, and I’ll be writing more on this on my author’s blog: deborahsholman.com. Be sure to check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss the updates! Oh—and one eagle-eyed participant noticed I misspelled my email address on the Contact Me slide! I’ve given that presentation several times and no one ever said anything!!

Speaking of AI… I also enlisted my AI companion—Scripty McPromptface—for fashion advice. With Scott already downstairs at the bar before the Gala dinner, I had no one to ask: sandals or full shoes? Scripty voted for the sandal, explaining that it balanced my bright, patterned top, added polish for evening, and kept the look “open and airy.” (I’m not sure what’s more shocking—that I now take wardrobe advice from an algorithm, or that it was actually right.)

Closing Thoughts

Perhaps we can use next year’s virtual conference to create a new experience—small regional groups gathering together at local hotels for “watch parties”, noshing on goodies while we view the virtual sessions. Hey- it’s a thought, right? Just trying to make the best of a less-than-optimal situation!!

In the end, whether we gather in a bustling city, a smaller hub like Fort Wayne, or virtually from our kitchen tables, the core of IAJGS remains the same: the sharing of knowledge, the pursuit of discovery, and the connections—digital or otherwise—that remind us we’re not alone in this work.

A great way to end the week! Thursday night fireworks from the ballpark viewable from our hotel room!

Let me know what you think about the virtual option. You can use the contact form on this blog or email me: deborah.holman@sbcglobal.net.