10 Steps to Becoming a Professional Genealogist

10 Steps to Becoming a Professional Genealogist Do you think that the genealogical profession is one that you will enjoy?  Follow these simple steps to see if you have the necessary skill, experience, and expertise to offer your services to others on a fee basis. Includes tips on becoming a certified or accredited genealogist. Difficulty: N/A Time Required: Varies How to Become a Professional Genealogist Read and follow the code of ethics of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Board for Certification of Genealogists.  Even if you belong to neither organization, this lets clients know you are serious about work quality and ethicsConsider your experience. A genealogist must be familiar with the various types of genealogical records available and know where to access them, as well as know how to analyze and interpret evidence. If you are unsure about your qualifications, enlist the services of a professional genealogist to critique your work and offer guidance.Consider your writing skills.  You must be knowledgeable of the proper format for source citations and have good grammar and writing skills in order to communicate your findings to clients. Practice your writing constantly. Once you have it polished, submit an article or case study for possible publication in a local genealogical society newsletter/journal or other genealogical publication.Join the Association of Professional Genealogists.  This society exists not only for practicing genealogists, but also for people who desire to further their skills.  They offer ongoing professional development in the skills needed to run a successful genealogy business. Educate yourself by taking genealogy classes, attending seminars and workshops, and reading genealogical magazines,  journals, and books.  No matter how much you know, there is always more to learn.Volunteer with a local genealogical society, library or group.  This will keep you in touch with a network of fellow genealogists, and help to further develop your skills. If you have the time, start or join a transcribing or indexing project for additional practice at reading genealogical documents.Make a list of your goals as a professional genealogist.  Think about what types of research interests you, the access you have to necessary resources and the profitability of doing research as a business. What do you want to do? Professional genealogists dont all do client research - some are authors, editors, teachers, heir searchers, bookstore owners, adoption specialists and other related fields.Develop your business skills.  You cannot run a successful business without knowing ab out accounting, taxes, advertising, licenses, billing and time management. Get a copy of Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians. This book is the bible for genealogy professionals and those who want to become professional. It offers advice and instruction on everything from abstracting to setting up a business.Consider applying for certification or accreditation. The Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) grants certification in research, as well as in two teaching categories, and the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen) offers accreditation in specific geographical areas. Even if you decide not to become certified or accredited, the guidelines offered by these testing programs will help you to objectively evaluate your genealogical skills. Tips: Practice your research skills every chance you get.  Visit courthouses, libraries, archives, etc. and explore the records. Get as much experience as you can before working for others.Dont stop researching your own family history.  It is most likely the reason you fell in love with genealogy in the first place and will continue to provide inspiration and enjoyment.

John Ray - An Evolution Scientist

John Ray - An Evolution Scientist Early Life and Education: Born November 29, 1627 - Died January 17, 1705 John Ray was born on November 29, 1627 to a blacksmith father and an herbalist mother in the town of Black Notley, Essex, England. Growing up, John was said to have spent a lot of time at his mothers side as she collected plants and used them to heal the sick. Spending so much time in nature at an early age sent John on his path to become known as the Father of English Naturalists. John was a very good student at Braintree school and soon enrolled at Cambridge University at the age of 16 in 1644. Since he was from a poor family and could not afford the tuition for the prestigious college, he worked as a servant to the Trinity College staff to pay off his fees. In five short years, he was employed by the college as a fellow and then became a full-fledged lecturer in 1651. Personal Life: Most of John Rays young life was spent studying nature, lecturing, and working toward becoming a clergyman in the Anglican Church. In 1660, John became an ordained priest in the Church. This led him to reconsider his work at Cambridge University and he ended up leaving the college because of conflicting beliefs between his Church and the University. When he made the decision to leave the University, he was supporting himself and his now widowed mother. John had trouble making ends meet until a former student  of his asked Ray to join him in various research projects that the student funded. John ended up making many trips through Europe gathering specimens to study. He conducted some research on anatomy and physiology of humans, as well as studied plants, animals, and even rocks. This work afforded him the opportunity to join the prestigious Royal Society of London in 1667. John Ray finally married at the age of 44, just before the death of his research partner. However, Ray was able to continue the research he started thanks to a provision in his partners will that would continue to fund the research they had started together. He and his wife had four daughters together. Biography: Even though John Ray was a staunch believer in the hand of God in the changing of a species, his great contributions to the field of Biology were very influential in Charles Darwins initial Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection. John Ray was the first person to publish a widely accepted definition of the word species. His definition made it clear that any seed from the same plant was the same species, even if it had different traits. He was also a fierce opponent of spontaneous generation and often wrote on the subject about how it was an atheists made up nonsense. Some of his most famous books cataloged all of the plants he had been studying over the years. Many believe his works to be the beginnings of the taxonomic system later created by Carolus Linnaeus. John Ray did not believe that his faith and his science contradicted each other in any way. He wrote many works reconciling the two. He supported the idea that God created all living things and then changed them over time. There were no accidental changes in his view and all were guided by God. This is similar to the current idea of Intelligent Design. Ray continued his research until he died on January 17, 1705.

Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intellectual Property - Essay Example Background of the research Arguments for intellectual property have taken many forms because the high rate of technological advancement makes people introduce new ways of misconduct. Individual personality is the extension of intellectual property because it introduces social progress and innovation incentives. Even justification of rights is related to merit and labor, the government should take a step forward to prevent people’s intellectual property. On the other hand, some organizations want the government to abolish the issue of intellectual property because it makes some big companies take advantage of emerging industries. Most people argue that the intellectual works on the basis of restricted access, but intellectual works are consumed by their use and many people are capable of using them concurrently. Intellectual property aims at protecting other people’s properties through introducing rules and regulations related to internet and technology. Organizations st ore crucial information that enable them carry out their business plans without crashing into one another’s plans. Violation of intellectual property rules leads to some industries having similar trademarks, or patents. In addition, economists have introduced economies of intellectual property that provides the basic requirements for an industry enter into the world of economies today (Lemley 1031). Types of intellectual property Intellectual property covers entrepreneurs in all categories from the small scale to large scale to assist in the protection of valuable assets of a company like the company logo, advertising instruments, list of consumers, and the unique ways of carrying out its activities (Bagley and Dauchy 23-52). The government has puts up policies to help in the protection of the intellectual property which every entrepreneur must follow. Copyrights Copyright forms the most crucial type of intellectual property that has greatly affected many industries, includin g software producing companies, music industries, multimedia, and entertainment sectors. Copyrights help in protecting the original expression of someone or an organization fixed in a tangible form. One of the commonest methods of copyright protection is through displaying a copyright notice on the product to make the user know the good protection by the copyright law, gives the producer, and the first time of publication. Copyright also gives the owner the right to get economic advantages from the product and the right to prevent duplication and selling of the work. Every person has the right over the ideas created and holds the responsibility to get all the benefits, which come because of that achievement and have the mandate to dictate who uses the idea for business purposes. The copyright covers all areas including computer programs and electronic databases. Trademarks Trademarks assist business industries in improving their image towards attracting more customers by increasing the quality of products and services offered. Trademark makes products and services more reliable, brings about innovations, and improves business performance. Good examples of well known trademarks globally include NIKE, AON, Mercedes-Benz, and Intel Inside. Protecting intellectual prop