The BCG credential Certified Genealogical Lecturer (CGL) designates a Board-certified genealogist who has earned additional certification in teaching. Eighteen people currently hold this credential. You will see “CGL” identifying genealogical lecturers and instructors at local, regional, and national conferences, institutes, and webinars. How did they earn this credential?
To apply for CGL, the BCG Application Guide asks those who hold the research credential, CG, to demonstrate their skills in the following areas:
- “selecting and organizing lecture contents
- providing accurate and effective presentations
- using written and visual learning aids”[1]
Applicants are asked to provide a summary of lecturing activities and a list of topics they present, as well as two recorded lectures that demonstrate adherence to Standards 74 to 79 in Genealogy Standards.[2] Each lecture must be thirty to sixty minutes long and address genealogical sources, methods, or standards. Syllabus materials (handouts), visuals (PowerPoint or similar slides, maps, and/or classroom board illustrations), and copies of speaker notes, if utilized, are also submitted. A bibliography of resources recommended for further study is required.
The next time you look at upcoming educational opportunities, notice how many speakers hold the CGL credential. Now you'll know how they earned it.
by Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL
CG, Certified Genealogist, CGL, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by Board-certified genealogists after periodic competency evaluation, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office.