Publish or Perish?

24-7 Family History Circle » Genealogical Societies: Publish or Perish? by George G. Morgan: "Genealogical societies have been going through some difficult times the last few years.
As older members are lost for one reason or another, societies have struggled to attract and retain new members.
They have tried a wide variety of tactics to raise interest and draw people to their activities, and then to join . . .

The Publication Blues
One of the most difficult jobs in any genealogical society is that of publications chair. This person is responsible for soliciting written contributions to a newsletter, a journal, or both. He or she then must compile, design the layout, and format the content in a consistent manner. The next step is the editorial work and getting the materials printed–sometimes at a printer and sometimes by themselves on their own computer. Then there are the tedious jobs of stuffing envelopes or sealing the printed materials, producing mailing labels, applying the labels and postage, and taking the publication to the post office.

Few members seem to feel confident about writing a short piece about their own research experience, compiling a list of new and exciting Web links they have discovered, announcements of events, book reviews, and other input. . . .

Making Tough Decisions
The rest of our board was astonished and appalled at the expense of just the publications."

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