Update from visit to NIGR

Good morning readers,
This past week was spent in Washington, DC attending the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR). This is an annual program sponsored by the National Archives and Records Administration and the National Genealogy Society. It is by far one of the most intense programs offered for teaching advance genealogy. It deals primarily with records on a federal level and those records housed by the various branches of the National Archives.
This is the second time I went through this program; first in 1998 and this year 2007. I find the 2007 session was much more intense than the earlier one. We began the program with an introduction and get-acquainted session on Sunday evening at the Hotel Washington which gave everyone an opportunity to get to know one another and learn what was on tap for the next five and a half days.
The co-directors, Claire Mire Bettag CG and Patricia O'Brien Shawker CG, were present and gave us our program notebook and gave us a general overview of NIGR for the first timers.
Each day was mostly spent in the National Archives located at 7th and Pennsylvania Avenue but we made visits to Archives II located on the campus of the U of Maryland, the Library of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Library of Congress. This whirlwind week is a good way to deplete energy for some days went from 9 am until 9 pm. Everyone got a good opportunity to put into practice the research skills that is taught by the staff of NIGR. Some of the instructors are employees of that National Archives while others are simply top-notch instructors in this field of federal research.
The final evening was spent at an Alumni Banquet held at in Rosslyn, VA where we were entertained by a lively presentation by Marian L. Smith who was one of our instructors. Her program was "Who was Morton Allan". Much to our surprise we found out that Morton Allan was the first names of the two sons of the man who authored this valuable book about ship arrivals in NYC and other east coast ports.
If anyone has an interest in attending NIGR you must submit your name to the organization to be put on the mailing list. When the next session nears you will get a notice to send in your application. Be prepared for this is not for the faint of heart or timid in the field of genealogy.
Here is the NIGR web address: http://www.rootsweb.com/~natgenin/.