Then and Now: How Family Research Has Changed Since 1987

A native of Chicago, Susan Kaufman has more than 35 years of experience as a genealogy librarian. She currently serves as the Senior Manager of the Houston Public Library’s Family History Research Center (Clayton Library Campus)—but she began her professional career right here in Peoria. In 1987, Kaufman worked as a librarian at the Peoria Public Library where she received on-the-job training in family history research. Since that time, numerous changes in research sources and methods have occurred. On June 8, Kaufman returns to Peoria to offer insights on how to effectively navigate those changes to get the most out of one’s own family history research.

Kaufman received a B.S. from Southern Illinois University and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Dominican University. While studying for her graduate degree, Kaufman held an internship at the National Archives and Records Administration, where she worked with original United States government archival records, including Civil War records and Food Administration Department records from World War I. She furthered her career at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Throughout the years, Kaufman has held board positions with the Peoria County Genealogical Society, the Illinois State Genealogical Society, the Allen County Genealogical Society, the Indiana Genealogical Society, and at the national level with the Federation of Genealogical Societies. She is past President of the Texas State Genealogical Society and currently serves as the Society’s Director of Education. In 2019, Kaufman received the National Genealogical Society’s P. William Filby Award for Outstanding Service as a Genealogical Librarian. That same year, she was installed as a Fellow of the Texas State Genealogical Society and was presented with the Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck Distinguished Service Award to the Genealogical Community by the Dallas Genealogical Society.

Kaufman has been a frequent presenter at local, state, and national genealogy conferences and meetings, with topics including basic family history research; database resources in genealogy; unusual resources; criminal and funeral records as sources; and how to use libraries and archives. Throughout her career, she has often done presentations for fellow librarians on helping family history researchers, with speeches at the Illinois Library Association, the Texas Library Association, and the American Library Association.

Kaufman’s program on Thursday, June 8 is entitled “Then and Now: How Family Research Has Changed Since 1987.” This presentation will serve as the keynote address for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Peoria County Genealogical Society, which was founded in 1973. In addition to the speech, the evening will also include prizes, awards, refreshments, and a few surprises.

This event is free and open to the public. It will be held in person at the Peoria Public Library’s North Branch, 3001 West Grand Parkway, Peoria, IL from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM.

Remote users may participate online via Zoom by registering at this link. Zoom will begin at 6:00 PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcu2orD8vGtc2RN0Q9N-3ehDO2WzvolRq?fbclid=IwAR1Ld_dcWr5gR_SZDwgsTPMdHoDYa9lW3fX8TL1YIDzipokaNIrZL9UWqYA#/registration

For more information, contact PCGS Vice President Angie at pcgsvicepresident@gmail.com