BYU Family History and Genealogy Conference

The 49th annual BYU Conference on Family History and Genealogy will offer more than 100 classes, allowing participants to gain new skills and helpful information. The Conference is held on the beautiful Brigham Young University Campus in Provo, Utah every July. This year's four-day conference is scheduled for July 25 - 28, 2017 at the BYU Conference Center, Provo, Utah. 

The Conference Center is presently under construction, as it was for last year's conference. I drive by the Conference Center nearly every day as go to the BYU Family History Library and have been watching the construction. I was pretty sure the construction would not be completed by July of this year. I have attended the conference in the past and enjoyed some really interesting classes. This year, I have submitted some topics to teach at the Conference, but I know there are a lot of applicants and I haven't heard yet if any of my proposals will be accepted. I live only about five minutes away from the Conference Center so it is very convenient to go to the Conference. 

Compared to the large #RootsTech 2017 Conference, this one is relatively low-key, but the main difference is that the presenters are more focused on genealogy research. Here is a list of topics to be covered:

• Youth and Genealogy
• LDS Family History Callings
• FamilySearch Family Tree
• DNA Research
• Google Genealogy
• ICAPGen
• U.S. Research
• Methodology
• International Research
• Scandinavian Research

Additionally, the BYU Family History Library is open during the event and is right there on the campus of the university and you could spend some time in the second largest family history library in the world. However, Monday, July 24th, is a Utah State holiday and the Library and the rest of the University are closed. July 24th is Pioneer Day in Utah when the Mormon Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. However, during the days of the Conference, if you would like a tour of the BYU Family History Library and maybe some help with research, I can probably schedule some appointments in the evenings after the conference, assuming the Library is open. We are on the academic calendar and classes are scheduled during the conference so the rest of the school will be open and running as usual. 

The weather in Provo is warm and sunny but there can be rain. Provo is about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City and there are quite a few hotels and dozens of restaurants near the campus. Provo is not particularly a walking city so you would likely need a car to get around. Provo is right next to some very high mountains and the altitude of the city varies from about 4500 feet above sea level to over 5000 feet above sea level. If you are not used to the altitude, you need to be aware that you might get more tired than usual walking around.