Educational Opportunities - Institutes

 

This is the third post about Educational Opportunities.  We will be discussing Institutes.

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An Institute in the Genealogy world is an in-depth study of a particular topic or subject. They started out as a week long program, with four or five presentations a day for four days, and then two or three presentations on the last day.  They would start on a Monday, and run until mid day on Friday.
                                                                                                                            
Pre-Covid- These institutes were in person, and like in-person conferences, could become costly, when you factor in the registration, lodging, food, and travel.

Now most if not all the institute courses are either virtual or they offer both in-person and virtual. Most institutes offer recordings for a period of time after the course, for attendees to go back and watch the presentations over.  According to their website, and their Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, GEN FED may record some of their presentations. When you are ready to expand your knowledge and become a better researcher, check out these amazing Institute organizations.

The institutes we will discuss are:

IGHR - Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research

        IGHR started at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, but 50 years later, the program was moved to the University of Ga in Athens Georgia.  It used to be an in-person institute, but during and after Covid, it went to a virtual institute. They typically offer 12 or 13 different courses. The week long event will be held Monday, July 27 – Friday, July 31, 2026. IGHR has started offering programs that meet once a week for about 3 to 5 hours, for a set number of weeks.  Many who work love this option, as they don't have to take a week of vacation to attend a week long conference. They can arrange their schedule to attend one day a week for the course duration.  Many of the once a week course are offered at night, which also helps those who work outside the home. Registration is open for all courses up to a month before the course starts. Check out their website for all the course offerings.

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GRIP - Great Connections, Research Skills, In-depth Learning, People-Centered

        GRIP was recently sold to National Genealogical Society. The improvements NGS has made, has grown this institute by leaps and bounds.  GRIP offers a week of online learning, and then a few weeks later, they offer an in-person event.  Each week has different courses, and yes you can sign up for both sessions. GRIP Virtual is Jun 22-26, 2026.  GRIP in person is Jul 12-17, 2026 and is held in Pittsburgh, PA. This year, GRIP is offering 2 courses with the once a week option. One course is for Librarians and the other course is for Societies.  

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SLIG - Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy

        SLIG offers several institutes throughout the year. The registration dates are set three to four months before the course starts. SLIG is the institute that started the trend of holding once a week classes. Each session offers amazing classes, and yes we can register for each session, if money is no object.

SLIG FALL 2026 (once a week courses) Sept- Nov 2026. Registration will open on May 16th, 2026!
SLIG VIRTUAL 2026 (Single week courses) Jan 25-29th 2027. Registration will open on September 12th, 2026
SLIG SPRING 2027 (once a week courses) February–May 2027. Registration will open on September 12th, 2026.

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GenFed - Genealogical Institute on Federal Records

        Held in person in Washington DC, in Aug or Sept every year. This program studies the records created by the Federal Government and found at the various National Archives across the country.
Registration is by lottery, meaning you register to go, and then the institute holds a drawing and selects 40 people from all the registrations to be  offered a seat.  This limit is due to the constraints of the DC Archives conference room.  The event will be held Aug 30- Sep 5, 2026.  Keep an eye out on the 2027 dates, and when registration starts which is usually around Feb the following year.

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TIGR - Texas Institute of Genealogical Research

    Held every other year, it has been virtual since 2021.  The next conference will be in held in 2027.

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MAAGI - Midwestern African American Genealogy Institute

    Established in 2013, Held on Jul 7-9 2026.  It will be virtual this year.  MAAGI is the only African American-focused institute.

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Stay tuned for the next installment where we will discuss other educational opportunities including self paced courses.