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Associates

Certified Genealogist (CG)

 Those who hold this credential have demonstrated their competence in research, analysis, kinship determination, and reporting skills.

Certified Genealogist Lecturer (CGL)

Those who hold this credential have demonstrated their competence in selecting and organizing lecture contents, providing accurate and effective presentations, and using written and visual learning aids.

Certified Genetic Genealogist (CGG)

 Those who hold this credential have demonstrated their competence in using genetic evidence to solve complex genealogical problems while meeting standards for using DNA evidence.

BCG - Why I Became Certified — Beth Stahr (transcript)

 

My name is Beth Starr, and I'm from Covington, Louisiana. I'm an academic librarian and board-certified genealogist since the early 1990s. In my mind, there's always been a connection between librarianship and certification, because as librarians, we're responsible for not only helping patrons find information, but also teaching them how to evaluate the information that they find, and then, if possible, helping them develop new skill sets to find better information or more in depth information. As a result, librarians have to keep their skills fresh and current. And for most librarians beyond that master's degree, there's no requirement for continuing education.

Certification has to be renewed every five years, and anybody applying has to be able to demonstrate that they have remained current and aware of changes in the genealogical world, and what better way to demonstrate that currency than by measuring yourself against the standards that have been published by the board? I believe that being a librarian has made me a better genealogist, and being a genealogist has made me a better librarian. And if I were hiring a genealogical librarian, these credentials are what I would look for in a person.