The Spring Genealogy & Local History Workshop at BPL is for everyone who: wants to know more about their Des Moines County ancestors, wants to learn about genealogy research, is interested in local history, wants to learn how to research their older home, needs a little help with online research methods. The two-day workshop features 1:1 help from knowledgeable staff and volunteers, multiple presentations from genealogists and historians, Lunch & Learn sessions on both days and a special children's program on Saturday. 

**Registration is required for the Lunch and Learns.

Click here to register For the Friday Lunch and Learn. 

Click here to register For the Saturday Lunch and Learn. 

No registration is needed for the rest of the programming associated with the Spring Genealogy workshop. 

Susan Kaufman, an Illinois native, is currently the Historical Records Coordinator and Local History and Genealogy Librarian at the Peoria (IL) Public Library, where she began her career in 1987.   

Sue has been very fortunate to have worked in varied library settings.  Beginning in a small local history and genealogy collection, having the opportunity to move to be part of the nation’s largest genealogy collection in a public library, to managing an international collection in a well respected gulf coast library.  These experiences have offered a personal and career development that has taken a trajectory of fabulousness and humbleness while learning from some of the well-known and not so well known family history community members. 

Sue’s strong belief in the power of partnerships has allowed her to be part of many leadership teams in providing genealogical education.  Early in her career, she created and presented programming for the Peoria County (IL) Genealogical Society monthly meeting.  At the state levels, she coordinated one of the early genealogical institutes, the Illinois State Genealogical Society  Genealogical Institute of Mid-America.  As part of the Indiana Genealogical Society annual conferences were part of Sue’s position as a District Representative.     

Prior to her return, she managed a nationally recognized international family history research collection for nearly 20 years, the Houston (TX) Public Library’s Family History Research Center at the Clayton Library Campus. 

Prior to that, she served as a Reference Librarian at the Allen County (IN) Public Library Genealogy Center, the largest family history research collection in the United States in a public library. 

She has had almost a 40-year career helping people research their family history. During her time as a professional librarian, family history research has changed and continues to change by leaps and bounds. 

Continuing and throughout her career, she has been active at the local, state, and national level within the genealogical community.  She served in leadership positions on genealogical society boards in Illinois, Indiana, Texas and with the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  Sue has held varied board positions throughout the years.   

Her commitment to the genealogical society community as a whole has as spanned her career.  From “back in the 80’s and 90’s” with the Peoria County (IL) Genealogical Society doing programming; within the Illinois State Genealogical Society’s holding Programming and Director positions; as District Representative and publications committee at the Indiana State Genealogical Society; and within the Texas State Genealogical Society, a District Representative, Past President; Director of Education and currently, Director at Large. 

At the national level, Sue provided 9 years of service as a Director on the Federation of Genealogical Societies Board. 

Her career has focused on preservation and access of family history research sources, education, and promotion of library resources and services.  Throughout her 40 year career, Sue has been a presenter for local state and national level conferences, workshops and meetings.  Her expertise is serving library customers, her topics for her presentations are reflective of that life long avocation.  Her presentations center around record groups and utilization of them for effective research.  Unusual sources are her passion, including criminal, funeral, manuscript, social history, digital book collections are just a few of her interests that she shares. 

Her passion is helping others discover a personal past, a sense of self, a sense of history, and an appreciation for ancestors that came before us.  Within all her positions, providing information and service has been apparent in her actions.  Her passion is programming, and her service reflects it.  Publicity committee member for many many local state and national conferences; programming chair for institutes and workshops……. 

In addition to her leadership service, has been a presenter at many meetings, workshops and conferences, including RootsTech, and local and state groups.   

Susan has been awarded the National Genealogical Society /ProQuest Filby award for genealogical librarianship, a national award for lifetime contributions to the library and family history research community. She is a Distinguished Fellow of the Texas State Genealogical Society, and a recipient of the Lloyd Dewitt Bockstruck Distinguished Service Award, by the Dallas Genealogical Society for service to the national genealogical community.  

Personal life brings joy by being outside, being around people, loving her husband Doug and her cats, and being very grateful for the ride she is enjoying in this life.