Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians; Edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills; 2001; Reprinted 2012; xxvi 654 pp; Hard Cover; 9x12; ISBN: 9780806316482; Item #: GPC 3844D.

Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians is a manual by professionals for everyone serious about genealogy. For family historians who want to do their own study, reliably, it describes the standards. For hobbyists, attorneys, and medical scientists who seek professional researchers, it’s a consumer guide that defines quality and facilitates choices. For librarians who struggle to help a whole new class of patrons, it provides a bridge to the methods, sources, and minutiae of “history, up-close and personal.” For established genealogical professionals, it offers benchmarks by which they can advance their skills and places their businesses on sounder footing. And for all those who dream of turning a fascinating hobby into a successful career, Professional Genealogy details the preparation and the processes.

Its twenty-nine chapters, written by two dozen scholars, cover the following topic areas: research skills and the analysis of evidence, writing and compiling genealogical research, the core genealogy library collection, genealogical ethics and standards, editing and publishing, and topics relating to the profession of genealogist.

“Professional Genealogy is a landmark–the field’s most significant publication since 1960, when the American Society of Genealogists introduced Genealogical Research: Methods and Sources. In a sense, though, its title belies its greatest value: it offers priceless guidance to the many amateur family historians who want to ensure that their work is of high quality and enduring value.”–Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, President, Board for Certification of Genealogists.

The following is the book’s Table of Contents: Professional Preparation

• 1. Defining Professionalism, by Donn Devine,J.D., CG, CGI
• 2. Educational Preparation, by Claire Mire Bettag, CGRS
• 3. Certification and Accreditation, by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG; Paul F. Smart, AG; Jimmy B. Parker, AG; and Claire Mire Bettag, CGRS
• 4. The Essential Library, by Joy Reisinger, CG

• 5. Ethical Standards, by Neil D. Thompson, LL.B., Ph.D., CG, FASG
• 6. Executing Contracts, by Patricia Gilliam Hastings, J.D.
• 7. Copyright and Fair Use, by Val D. Greenwood, J.D., AG

• 8. Alternative Careers, by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CGRS
• 9. Structuring A Business, by Melinda Shackleford Kashuba, Ph.D.
• 10. Setting Realistic Fees, by Sandra Hargreaves Luebking
• 11. Marketing Strategies, by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens, CGRS
• 12. Business Record Keeping, by Helen F. M. Leary, CG, CGL, FASG
• 13. Time Management, by Patricia Law Hatcher, CG, FASG

• 14. Problem Analyses and Research Plans, by Helen F. M. Leary, CG, CGL, FASG
• 15. Research Procedures, by Linda Woodward Geiger, CGRS, CGL
• 16. Transcripts and Abstracts, by Mary McCampbell Bell, CLS, CGL
• 17. Evidence Analysis, by Donn Devine, J.D., CG, CGI

• 18. Research Reports, by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG
• 19. Genealogy Columns, by Regina Hines Ellison, CGRS
• 20. Proof Arguments and Case Studies, by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG
• 21. Book and Media Reviews, by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG
• 22. Record Compilations, by Bettie Cummings Cook, CG
• 23. Family Histories, by Christine Rose, CG, CGL, FASG
• 24. Lineage Papers, by Mary McCampbell Bell, CLS, CGL and Elisabeth Whitman Schmidt, CLS

• 25. Editing Periodicals, by Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG
• 26. Proofreading and Indexing, by Birdie Monk Holsclaw
• 27. Preparing Books for Press, by Joan Ferris Curran, CG

• 28. Classroom Teaching, by Sandra Hargreaves Luebking
• 29. Lecturing, by Helen F. M. Leary, CG, CGL, FASG

This 654-page reference book includes an appendix for Abbreviations and Acronyms as well as a section covering “Codes, Guidelines, and Standards: United States and International.” The book also has an extensive index.