My local public library has a “writer in residence” for 6 months every other year. They also have a “Critic in Residence” at the library art gallery. These individuals meet with local writers and artists and coach them in improving their literary or artistic work. The library pays them to do a certain number of educational programs, and to have “office hours” for writers or artists to come in and discuss their work.
Would you like to be a “genealogist in residence” at a library near you? Its a new idea and you may not sell them on a month, let alone 6 months, but to the right person they might just pay a professional genealogist to teach and consult with patrons for a week.
Go and discuss it with your librarian and report back.
Genealogy Education 
Hi Ken,
Our local library has no money for anything but volunteers…
So we volunteer to be in the genealogy “corner” of the library on Monday and Wednesday mornings, or by appointment. The library staff all know us, and direct people to the corner or give them a society flyer to contact somebody. Surprisingly, we get an interested visitor several times a month, and some of them join the society. When no visitor comes, we have a grand time straightening the books on the shelves and talking genealogy.
Our society is trying to put together a “Family History” day at the library during October, with the library’s help. We hope to have families bring some records in, we would try to help them organize them using group sheets and pedigree charts, then send them into the computer room to search for ancestors in the census or databases, etc. We will have a handout with charts and a brief “how-to on genealogy” and contact names and numbers. Hopefully, the society can help some folks get started and gain some new blood from the effort.
Not exactly “genealogist in residence” but we’re trying…
Cheers — Randy
I think this is a brilliant idea. I’d love to know if libraries near me had Genealogy volunteers. I’d love to know if there are a list or media outlets for information on libraries offering such services, other than just the libraries.
Lorelle,
Ottawa Public Library in Ottawa, Ontario is the only one I know of besides Regina Public Library in Regina Saskatchewan that offers a Genealogist in Residence week.
Regina Public Library has me, a professional librarian and professional genealogist on salary, so we really do not count.
If you are the professional genealogist, you make the move, write up the proposal and approach your target library late in one year regarding doing the event the next year. Libraries need time to budget big projects. For a one-day event, you still need about 90 days notice.
Ken
Ken