• Washington, May 18, 2021 •

The German Historical Institute was honored to receive one of three “SLAM! Idea Showcase” prizes awarded by the National Genealogical Society to projects which are innovative models for family history research. The institute received the award for German Heritage in Letters, which was recognized in part for its collaboration with citizen scientists and its digital presentation. 

The SLAM! Idea Showcase, held during NGS’ 2021 Virtual Family History Conference, was designed to provide examples of innovative projects developed by libraries, archives, and historical institutions which might be adapted by other organizations. A short video developed for the showcase shares how German Heritage in Letters works with family historians in the United States who share their correspondence and original research as well as with volunteer citizen-scientists in both the United States and Germany who transcribe letters from 19th-century Kurrentschrift handwriting into machine-readable and -searchable text. The video can be watched below.

Other projects recognized include the St. Louis Genealogical Society’s “Congregation Project”; the Chester County (Pennsylvania) Archives’ “1777 Chester County Property Atlas Portal”; the “Genealogy Roundtable” of the Godfrey Memorial Library (Middletown, Connecticut); the Kentucky Historical Society “Kentucky Ancestors Town Hall,” and the St. Louis Public Library's project “Rooted in Inclusion: Forgoing the Family Tree Model.” To learn more about the other participants in the NGS’ SLAM! Idea Showcase, visit the showcase’s YouTube playlist. As ever, we thank our Wunderbar Together partners for their support!

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